The Virginia Housing Commission after a brief hiatus was re-activated as an independent commission through the biennial 2022 State Budget. Delegate Danny Marshall assumed his roll as Chair, he was elected by the Commission in December of 2021. Senator Mamie Locke retained her roll as Vice-Chair of the Commission.

The majority of the Commission’s work is accomplished through workgroups whose membership includes Senators, Delegates and housing stakeholders. This July, three workgroups were created:

(1) Affordable Housing and Neighborhood Transitions, chaired by Delegate Danny Marshall and,
(2) Common Interest Communities. chaired by Delegate David Bulova and,
(3) Court Eviction Diversion Pilot Program, chaired by Senator Mamie Locke.

Members of the workgroups and their affiliations are available on the VHC website. (VHC.Virginia.gov)

Elizabeth A. Palen was appointed to the director position.

There were a few bills referred to the Commission (SB 284, Ebbin, A.2022, HB 586, VanValkenburg, S.2022) Additionally, SB Locke, 2022 directed the Commission to study and produce an interim report concerning the Pilot Court Eviction Diversion Program.

The meeting summaries reflect the work done on each of these bills.

Two proposed pieces of legislation were offered to the Common Interest Communities Workgroup but the workgroup did not have enough time in the interim to complete its study and make an endorsement.

The Court Pilot Eviction Diversion Workgroup observed the eviction docket at the John Marshall Court House. On the day the Workgroup observed, General District Court Judge Devika Davis preside over a docket that included many cases of late payment and unlawful detainer charges. The group was unable to witness the Pilot Eviction Diversion docket at work because no one that day, and rarely in the past two years had it been used. An interim report on the pilot is also available on the website.

The full Commission had many strong speakers who provided them with good housing information.

In July, economist Ryan Price from the Virginia Association of Realtors gave an informative talk including statistics for housing and the economy in Virginia. Hamilton Lombard from The Weldon Cooper Center presented demographic trends that affect housing outcomes in the Commonwealth.

Presentations concerning affordable housing needs, solutions including modular and mobile homes as well as procuring funding through CDFI’s (community Development Funding Institutions) were given to the group. Additionally, pertinent topics such as short-term rentals were briefly discussed this interim.

The Commission has a strong interest in innovative solutions to affordable housing and the Commission completed its interim by hearing about the building of both 3-D houses and using hemp-crete to produce healthier homes.

Next interim each of these topics will be studied in a more in-depth manner.

During the legislative session the Commission looks forward to monitoring legislation and developing next interim’s work plan.

The Commission offices are located at 701 East Franklin Street, Suite 704.