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Welcome to the Office of Housing
What's New
Understanding Condominium Living
If you live in a condominium community or if you are considering purchasing a condo, you should learn about the rights and responsibilities of condo associations and those of the homeowner. On June 10, the City and Arlington County will host a two-hour class "Understanding Condominium Living." The class will be held at the Duncan Branch Library, 2501 Commonwealth Avenue in Alexandria. The session is free of charge, but seating is limited. To confirm your attendance, please call the Office of Housing at 703.746.4990 or email Shane Cochran at shane.cochran@alexandriava.gov.
This is the second in a series of classes and workshops being offered by the City of Alexandria, Arlington County and the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) For more information or to host a workshop in your community, please contact Shane Cochran with the City's Office of Housing at shane.cochran@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.4990.
Free Class for First Time Homebuyers
Thinking about buying your first home? Rebuilding Together Alexandria will hold a free two-part training class for first-time homebuyers on June 5, followed by a second session on June 12. Both parts of the class will be held at the William Ramsay Recreation Center, 5650 Sanger Avenue from 6 to 9 p.m. The class offers an introductory but comprehensive overview of a host of issues related to the homebuying process including:
- understanding your credit report and other personal finance issues,
- working with a lender and realtor,
- home inspections and maintenance issues.
Advance registration is required. To register, contact Katie Savarese at 703.836.1021 or email at ks@rebuildingtogetheralex.org
All attendees will be entered in a raffle to win a $50 gift.
2013 Communications Action Network (CAN) Parade of Homes
On May 18th, 2013 the Communications Action Network (CAN) hosted the first ever CAN Parade of Homes, featuring 17 communities throughout the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland. Representing the City of Alexandria in the Parade of Homes was the Alexandria Housing Development Corporation’s property, The Station at Potomac Yard, which showcases a particularly creative mix of land uses, providing a new fire station, retail, and much needed affordable and workforce affordable housing within the same new structure. 
On May 6, 2013, Alexandria Mayor William D. Euille presented a proclamation to Daniel K. Abramson, President of the Alexandria Housing Development Corporation, and to CAN representatives Michelle Krocker, Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance (NVAHA) and Heather Raspberry, Executive Director of the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND). The proclamation recognizes CAN’s work in promoting awareness of the value that housing affordability brings to families, communities and employers and highlights the fact that today’s affordable housing is well built, well maintained and is designed to fit into the fabric of existing communities. CAN’s Parade of Homes will provide an opportunity for the public and the media to visit affordable housing developments throughout the region. For a complete list of properties participating in the Parade of Homes or to learn more about CAN, visit the webpage at www.caninitiative.org.
FY2014 Draft Action Plan
The City of Alexandria's Draft One-Year Action Plan of the Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development for the period July 1, 2013 - June 30, 2014 is available for comment through Friday, April 26, 2013. Persons wishing to comment on the Draft Action Plan may do so either in writing and/or by providing testimony at a public hearing to be held on Saturday, April 13, 2013, in the City Council Chambers. The Action Plan describes actions to be taken during City FY 2014 to meet housing and community development needs identified in the City's FY 2011-2015 Consolidated Plan. This document also serves as the City's application to HUD for an estimated $678,236 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and an estimated $373,796 in Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program monies for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2013.
Notabene Drive Project Wins Award
The City and the nonprofit Community Lodgings, Inc. (CLI) have been selected for the Audrey Nelson Award by the National Community Development Association (NCDA). The award, presented on February 1, 2013, recognizes the City for its support to CLI in partnership with HomeAid Northern Virginia and Pulte Homes to renovate a 10-unit apartment building which provides housing for homeless low income families. The renovation will enable CLI to continue to serve ten homeless families in modern, energy efficient, safe and stable housing. The project is valued at over $900,000 with a scope that included a complete gut of the building down to the structure and rebuild with new kitchens; bathrooms; flooring; windows; doors; HVAC; and roofing. The actual cash investment is about $550,000 from federal HOME funds, local match, and a grant from the Freddie Mac Foundation.
Draft Housing Master Plan
The Draft Housing Master Plan, released in November 2012, is intended to guide future development and preservation of affordable housing opportunities, community diversity, and economic sustainability in Alexandria. In developing the Plan, the City held a series of 15 public meetings; a bus tour of the City’s affordable housing stock; and an allocation exercise that gave residents and other stakeholders the opportunity to consider future housing needs and locations. Two town hall meetings were held, the first on January 24 and the second on February 11, 2013, to receive public comments on the plan.
Click here to learn more about the Draft Housing Master Plan. For more information, call 703.746.4990.
Beauregard Small Area Plan Adopted, Results of Bearegard Tenant Survey Available
Click here to learn more about the Beauregard Plan. Results of the Beauregard Tenant Survey are available in both English and Spanish.
City of Alexandria Receives Community Homeownership Revitalization Program Funding
The City of Alexandria has been awarded $750,000 in funding through the Virginia Housing Development Authority’s Community Homeownership Revitalization Program (CHRP). This resource will provide reduced rate mortgage financing for lower-income, first-time homebuyers participating in the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership Program and who are purchasing homes within one of the City’s three designated Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) target areas. While rates will vary, the CHRP loan rates for a 30 year mortgage have been as low as 2.5%. The funds are expected to serve a total of five households.
For more information on loan programs and training offered by the Virginia Housing Development Authority, visit www.vhda.com
Office of Housing Named as Virginia Housing Development Authority Community Agent
The City’s Office of Housing has been designated as a Community Agent for the Virginia Housing Development Authority’s Rental Unit Modification Program. This program, which offers up to $2,000 in grant funds to assist low- and moderate income renters in modifying their homes to improve accessibility, requires that applications for assistance be submitted by a designated Community Agent.
The Rental Unit Modification Program may be used in concert with the existing Mini-Grant Program administered by the City. In addition to these programs, the City also offers a Rental Accessibility Modification Program, which provides grants of up to $50,000 for a variety of larger-scale accessibility improvements. City residents interested in learning more about resources for accessibility improvements for both renters and homeowners should contact the Office of Housing at 703.746.4990. Residents may also use Access Virginia, an online housing registry designed to help Virginians with disabilities find accessible, affordable apartments and learn about accessibility requirements.
Website: Access Virginia
Foreclosure Assistance Resources
On August 14, 2012, the City of Alexandria and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) hosted a Housing Roundtable on Helping Responsible Homeowners which featured lenders, housing counselors and other stakeholders discussing the refinancing process, recent changes to the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP2), and other opportunities to help homeowners reduce their monthly housing costs by taking advantage of historically low mortgage rates. To watch the video of the Roundtable, click here. To download a copy of HUD's new 2012 Mortgage Assistance Guide, click here.
Online Rental Search
Virginia Housing Search
City of Alexandria's Green Building Resource Center
Learn more about resources to help renters and homeowners to save money by going green! The Green Building Resource Center is an online clearinghouse that provides technical guidance and information about Eco-City Alexandria initiatives.
Additional Info
About the Office of Housing
The Office of Housing (703-746-4990, TTY 703-838-5056, fax 703-706-3904) coordinates and administers City housing and housing-related programs and services, and makes recommendations to the City Manager and City Council on housing policy for the City. Its major divisions are Program Administration, Landlord-Tenant Relations and Program Implementation, all of which are located at 421 King Street, Suite 200. The Office of Housing also works closely with the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) on housing issues.
A portion of the City's housing activities are funded through annual grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) via its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) program. The Office of Housing also works with housing programs which are funded and/or administered by the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA).
For information on Office of Housing programs, click here.
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