From 2003 to 2023
HousingForward’s origin story, and why it matters today.
Take yourself back to 2003. You just got home from seeing Finding Nemo in the theater. The Terminator was just elected Governor of California. And the average home in Virginia is selling for about $210,000. Life is good, right?
Not so fast. That home price might look like a steal today, but back then it was a remarkable 40% jump from 2000. And by the way, your income only went up about 10% over that same time. Welcome to the bubble.
While most Virginians were still unaware of the burst to come a few years later, a small cadre of state housing leaders didn’t ignore these growing affordability challenges, and decided to act. Hoping to expand public awareness and build support for more affordable housing, the Housing Virginia Campaign was born.
Two decades later, that same organization—now known as HousingForward Virginia—is in the midst of creating its first true strategic plan. As we chart the course for our future, we can’t help but reflect on the journey that brought us here today.
Early Days
Our story began in late 2003 when Virginia Housing (then VHDA), along with the Virginia REALTORS and the Home Builders Association of Virginia, created the Housing Virginia Campaign to “change the public’s image about who needs affordable housing.” Working with a PR firm, the campaign launched a two-year multimedia blitz in the Charlottesville area to test its messages.
Unfortunately, surveys from before and after the engagement revealed that any positive effect was modest. Results did not justify the cost and effort. Leaders quickly surmised that much more research, collaboration, and coalition-building was needed first.
The following year, the campaign geared up for the long haul by acquiring its 501(c)3 designation, recruiting new board members, and leveraging Virginia Housing staff (primarily Toni Ostrowski) to manage its operations. In 2005, we dropped the “campaign” to become simply Housing Virginia.
A Decade of Growth
In 2010, Housing Virginia hired HDAdvisors to expand its capacity to plan and implement new programs. Serving as the organization’s staff, HDAdvisors began representing the organization with partners and the public throughout the state. It continues that role today!
With this added strength, Housing Virginia accomplished a great deal over the next decade:
- Developed and launched Sourcebook (2010) and Playbook (2012) with the Virginia Center for Housing Research at Virginia Tech
- Connected housing with transportation (2010), local economies (2012), and schools (2014) through original research and policy symposiums
- Produced resources and trainings to address local opposition to housing and reframe conversations effectively
- Conducted a multi-year Rural Housing Initiative (2016-2017) to highlight housing needs beyond Virginia’s major metro areas
- Held the first HousingX conference (2019) to showcase innovations in housing
New Identity and Expanded Reach
In 2020, we rebranded to HousingForward Virginia (HFV) and launched a fully redesigned website. This change coincided with an expansion of our contract research work for the state, Planning District Commissions (PDCs), and localities. In the years to follow, this technical assistance would become an integral part of our mission.
To explore our housing studies from across Virginia, head over to our Local Housing Research page.
During this period — defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, an overdue reckoning on race in America, and rapidly changing economic conditions — the appetite for evidence-based analysis and solutions to housing problems grew significantly. Through our work to meet this demand, we were connected to many new partners, and expanded our visibility in regions all across Virginia.
Embracing the Future
In recent years, our increased capacity and profile have led us to undertake a number of new initiatives:
- Rebuilding a modernized Sourcebook with easier access and more frequent updates
- Spotlighting new innovations with a second HousingX conference (2022) and regular xChat webinars
- Developing a Racial Equity Toolkit for advocates and practitioners
- Launching the Virginia Zoning Atlas and our ZONED IN initiative to demystify the relationship between land use regulations and housing affordability
We also had one important change internally. Until his retirement in 2021, Bob Adams (founder of HDAdvisors) had served as HFV’s executive director. Together, the board and staff saw an opportunity to restructure the organization’s leadership into co-director roles that more effectively distribute duties and responsibilities.
Today, Jonathan Knopf and Eric Mai serve as co-directors for programs and sustainability, respectively. To our best knowledge, HFV is still one of the few statewide nonprofit organizations in the nation with shared leadership.
What’s Next
Over the last month, we ramped up our strategic planning process by surveying our partners and supporters for their ideas and feedback. Between now and the fall, board members and staff will work as a team to position HousingForward for another twenty years of success. Stay tuned for more updates in the near future.
And while we may have shared a litany of our various accomplishments here, by no means are we resting on our laurels. The problems we face today were shaped over many decades, and it’ll take just as long to overcome them. We’re up for the challenge. Are you?