FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
December 17, 2001

CONTACT, Katie O'Rourke
804-343-5520 / cell: 804-840-7286
katie.orourke@vhda.com

Richmond, VA (Dec. 17, 2001) -For the first time in its 11-year history, the 2002 edition of the Virginia Housing Directory is now available to anyone with a computer and access to the Internet at http://www.vhda.com/Apps/HousingDirectory/Housing.htm.

The directory provides non-profit organizations, government, consumers and local and state agencies concerned about affordable housing with a wide range of housing information. Although this is the 11th edition of the Virginia Housing Directory, this is the first year it is available online.

"In the past, social workers, emergency caregivers and others had to spend hours looking through pamphlets, brochures and often outdated publications to find available shelters or other non-profit housing resources," said VHDA Executive Director Susan Dewey. "Now, with the online directory, housing resources with up-to-date information are easily located with the click of a button."

The directory is another tool designed to help VHDA better serve those in need. More than 2,000 copies of the directory have been distributed across the state to housing professionals, realtors, social workers, librarians, non-profit housing organizations and other housing-related groups. The online version of the directory has been e-mailed to hundreds of other facilities and organizations including libraries and housing finance authorities across the nation.

The Virginia Housing Development Authority is Virginia's state housing finance agency and is self-supporting. It issues bonds to raise private capital to provide low-interest loans and other home loan financing alternatives to Virginians seeking safe, decent affordable housing.