Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development

Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development
Name	Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development
Formed	1996
Jurisdiction	Commonwealth of Virginia
Headquarters	Richmond, Virginia
Chief1 position	Director

Contents

Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development is a state-level agency located in Richmond, Virginia that administers housing, community development, and related programs across the Commonwealth of Virginia. The department coordinates with federal entities such as the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, state authorities including the Virginia General Assembly and the Governor of Virginia, and local bodies like county boards in Fairfax County, Virginia and city councils in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Its work intersects with landmark legislation and programs tied to Community Development Block Grant allocations, Low-Income Housing Tax Credit implementation, and disaster recovery efforts following events such as Hurricane Isabel and Hurricane Irene.

History

The agency traces institutional roots to mid-20th-century initiatives influenced by programs from the United States Housing Act of 1937 and the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965, evolving through state reorganizations under successive governors including James Gilmore and Mark Warner. Legislative milestones from the Virginia General Assembly in the 1990s led to consolidation of divisions previously housed in agencies like the Virginia Department of Community Affairs into a centralized department modeled after counterparts in California Department of Housing and Community Development and the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal. The department has been shaped by responses to economic events such as the Great Recession and natural disasters including Tropical Storm Lee, working alongside federal programs administered by Federal Emergency Management Agency and funding streams connected to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The department’s leadership structure includes an appointed Director who reports to the Governor of Virginia and collaborates with the Secretary of Commerce and Trade (Virginia), the Commonwealth of Virginia Chief Administrative Officer, and oversight committees in the Virginia House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate. Divisions incorporate units focused on affordable housing, community planning, building codes, and disaster recovery, interfacing with state offices like the Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia Economic Development Partnership, and municipal planning commissions in cities such as Norfolk, Virginia and Charlottesville, Virginia. Advisory boards and commissions include stakeholders from organizations such as the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Enterprise Community Partners, Habitat for Humanity, and academic partners like Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia.

Programs administered range from allocation of HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds to management of Housing Choice Voucher Program coordination, though some programs are directly implemented by public housing authorities like the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The department oversees building code adoption linked to the International Code Council model codes and administers energy efficiency initiatives tied to utility programs from providers such as Dominion Energy and federal incentives from the Department of Energy. Community development services include technical assistance for Main Street revitalization in towns like Lexington, Virginia and grant administration for infrastructure projects funded through the Community Development Block Grant and state housing trust funds influenced by policies from the National Council of State Housing Agencies.

Funding streams include federal allocations from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, state appropriations authorized by the Virginia General Assembly, revenues tied to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit administered through state housing finance agencies, and emergency funds coordinated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Budget cycles reflect fiscal policies approved by the Governor of Virginia and the Virginia State Budget, with expenditures monitored in coordination with the Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts and procurement rules aligned with the Virginia Public Procurement Act. The agency has overseen disbursements related to federal recovery programs under statutes such as the Stafford Act and assisted in allocating funds from stimulus packages like the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Regulatory authority derives from statutes enacted by the Virginia General Assembly and mandates from the Governor of Virginia, implementing state codes and standards influenced by the International Building Code and model regulations promulgated by the International Code Council. Policies cover fair housing compliance informed by the Fair Housing Act and collaboration with the Virginia Human Rights Council and local fair housing offices in jurisdictions such as Alexandria, Virginia. The department enforces standards for manufactured homes consistent with federal oversight from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and participates in rulemaking processes subject to the Administrative Process Act (Virginia).

Partnerships span federal agencies including the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and Federal Emergency Management Agency, nonprofit organizations such as Best Friends of Pets and Local Initiatives Support Corporation, philanthropic funders like the Ford Foundation, and regional planning bodies including the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission. Community initiatives have targeted revitalization in locales like Staunton, Virginia, transit-oriented development near Washington Metro stations, and resilience planning in coastal areas affected by Norfolk, Virginia flooding, coordinating with universities including Old Dominion University and research centers such as the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

Category:State agencies of Virginia Category:Housing in Virginia Category:Community development