Who is VHDA?

VHDA is a self-supporting, not-for-profit organization created by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1972, to help Virginians attain quality, affordable housing. Our mortgages are funded by bonds we issue, not by state taxpayer dollars, and are available for homebuyers and developers of quality rental housing. We also teach free homeownership classes, and help people with disabilities and the elderly make their homes more livable. VHDA works with lenders, developers, local governments, community service organizations and others to help put quality housing within the reach of every Virginian.

Since our founding, VHDA has committed financing for more than 131,000 single family homes and 96,000 multifamily apartments.

Our Guiding Principles

The foundation of everything we’ve done since 1972, our guiding principles are demonstrated every day through the actions of our associates, who are required to be:

• Collaborative - valuing relationships and respecting different perspectives.
• Creative - making the best use of people, time, money, technology and information, and striking a practical balance between short- and long-term goals.
• Customer-focused - displaying care and compassion of individual needs and creating value for our stakeholders.
• Ethical - considering what is best for VHDA as a whole in order to focus on the affordable housing needs of communities throughout the Commonwealth.
• Knowledgeable - understanding and knowing our customers: low-to moderate-income households, diverse cultures, minority populations and people with disabilities.
• Mission-driven - offering programs, products and services that overcome affordable housing barriers.  

The ability to live up to these principles is evaluated in job candidate interviews, associate performance reviews and in the experiences of our customers and stakeholders.

Funding Sources

Each year, we issue taxable and tax-exempt bonds to support lending for our Single Family and Multifamily Loan programs. The private sector purchases VHDA bonds, and this, in turn, generates our principal source of capital. These bonds do not constitute a debt or obligation of the Commonwealth.

Organizational Structure

VHDA is a quasi-government agency. The governor appoints our 11-member Board of Commissioners. However, the authority is self-supporting and does not use tax dollars to fund its lending programs. Susan F. Dewey, our executive director since 1999, heads a leadership team of nine divisional managers. VHDA has more than 300 full-time associates.

Strategic Goals

To meet the state’s most critical housing needs, we annually develop and update our strategic plan and objectives.

In VHDA's Strategic Plan, the authority focuses on ways to:

• Increase affordable housing opportunities for: Low- and moderate-income households. Underserved minority populations. People with disabilities and the frail elderly.
• Ensure an ongoing inventory of affordable housing that supports strong, viable communities.
• Strengthen our ability to provide affordable housing.

VHDA's Strategic Plan

VHDA Strategic Plan