Piedmont Housing Alliance

What Piedmont Housing Alliance does

Piedmont Housing Alliance (PHA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1983 (through its predecessor, the Thomas Jefferson Housing Improvement Commission) and headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia. The organization operates a portfolio-based affordable housing platform serving low- and moderate-income residents across Virginia's Planning District 10 — Charlottesville plus the counties of Albemarle, Greene, Fluvanna, Louisa, and Nelson. PHA's core business is owning, managing, and developing affordable rental housing: it manages 10 apartment communities containing 600+ apartment homes, has built 64+ single-family homes in neighborhoods such as Starr Hill, Hinton Avenue, 10th and Page, and Fifeville, and is currently executing the multi-phase, zero-displacement Kindlewood (formerly Friendship Court) redevelopment in partnership with the National Housing Trust.

Layered on top of this rental-housing core, PHA delivers an integrated stack of human services: HUD-approved housing counseling (pre-purchase, post-purchase, rental, foreclosure prevention, fair housing education), a LISC Financial Opportunity Center + Housing Hub offering employment assistance, financial coaching, and housing stability case management, a CDFI-administered Down Payment Loan Program and SPARC first-time homebuyer lending, RUAM and Granting Freedom accessibility modification grants, shared-equity homeownership via the co-administered Piedmont Community Land Trust, and CORES-certified resident services across managed communities. Technology is third-party-anchored: RealPage OneSite handles online rent payment and applications across all managed properties, while Zoom, LGL Forms, Microsoft Forms/SharePoint, and DAF Direct support counseling, donations, and back-office workflows.

PHA's revenue model blends recurring affordable rental income, pass-through lending-program activity (notably the $18M Virginia Housing SPARC allocation and CDFI-administered down payment loans), layered federal/state/local capital for development (HUD Green and Resilient Retrofit $6M, Virginia ASNH $13.665M + $2M, DHCD, City of Charlottesville $3.8M + $700K + ~$8M TIF, NEA Our Town $100K, Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta), charitable donations and a Build the Future campaign ($75,000 June 2025 target), and modest service fees (e.g., $25 optional credit-report fee). Customer segments span low- and moderate-income families, seniors 55+/62+, people with disabilities, first-time homebuyers under 80% AMI, disabled veterans, and eviction-risk renters served through eviction-prevention case management.

Name

Piedmont Housing Alliance

Legal name

Piedmont Housing Alliance

Website

https://piedmonthousingalliance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Piedmont Housing Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that owns, manages, and develops affordable rental housing across Charlottesville, Virginia and the surrounding five-county Planning District 10, layering HUD-approved housing counseling, CDFI lending, a LISC Financial Opportunity Center, and resident services for low- and moderate-income families, seniors, and first-time homebuyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Affordable Housing Services

NAICS

Other Community Housing Services (624229), Other Residential Care Facilities (62399), Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (6233)

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340), Services-Social Services (8300), Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public & Affordable Housing Programs (Subsidies, Vouchers, Public Housing) (BPAIANAA), Affordable/Subsidized Independent Living (HUD/LIHTC) Communities (HLADAAAB), Single-Site CCRCs (HLADAEAE)

Keywords

• Affordable housing services
• Housing counseling
• Community development lending
• Rental property management
• Real estate development

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlottesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Affordable Rental Income (Property Management): Recurring rental revenue from a portfolio of 10 properties containing 600+ apartment homes in Charlottesville, Albemarle and Nelson counties. Includes Section 8 / project-based subsidized units. Rent is due the first of each month.
2. Charitable Donations and Grants: Donations (online via LGL form, check, donor-advised funds, stock gifts), Build the Future fundraising campaign ($75,000 target in June 2025), and matching-gift programs. Used to support eviction prevention, resident services, and the Kindlewood redevelopment.
3. Affordable Lending / Down Payment Loan Program: Operates as a US Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) administering the SPARC program ($18M allocation from Virginia Housing) and its own down payment loan program for first-time homebuyers earning below 80% of AMI. Provides customized loans with up to 1% mortgage interest rate reduction.
4. Real Estate Development Fees & Capital Layering: Layered financing for development/redevelopment projects (e.g., Kindlewood Phase 2 funded via HUD Green and Resilient Retrofit Program $6M, $13.665M Virginia ASNH, $100,000 NEA Our Town, $2M DHCD ASNH, $18M SPARC). 501 Cherry Ave. mixed-use project valued at $45-50M, with $3.8M city allocation and TIF-based property tax forgiveness worth ~$8M.
5. Government and Foundation Grants: Federal, state, and private foundation grants including HUD Green and Resilient Retrofit Program ($6M for Kindlewood Phase 2, 2023), Blue Ridge Area Food Bank ($90,000, 2021), Charlottesville Area Community Foundation ($101,000, 2020), Dominion Energy/LEAP EnergyShare (HVAC replacement at Cynthianna), and NEA Our Town ($100,000, 2024).
6. Service Fees (Credit Reports): Optional $25 fee for credit report pull during housing counseling; most housing counseling services (homeownership, foreclosure prevention, fair housing education, budgeting, landlord/tenant) are free.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Piedmont Housing Alliance develops, owns, and manages a portfolio of 10 affordable apartment communities containing more than 600 apartment homes in central Virginia, while delivering HUD-approved housing counseling, CDFI-certified down payment and SPARC first-time homebuyer lending, financial coaching and housing stability case management through its LISC Financial Opportunity Center + Housing Hub, rental counseling, accessibility modification grants, and wraparound resident services. Its core deliverable is integrated housing stability — combining physically affordable rental and homeownership units with counseling, lending, and supportive services for low- and moderate-income households.

Product overview

Piedmont Housing Alliance (PHA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit operating a portfolio-based affordable housing platform in Virginia's Planning District 10 (Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Greene, Fluvanna, Louisa, and Nelson). The platform's foundation is eleven managed apartment communities — Kindlewood (formerly Friendship Court), Crozet Meadows, Cynthianna Avenue Duplex, Monticello Vista, Timberlake Place, Virnita Court, Hickory Hope, Meadowlands, Scottsville School, Woods Edge, and Ryan School — which deliver the bulk of its affordable rental housing and serve as the delivery points for its Resident Services and Build the Future eviction-prevention work. Layered on top of this rental-housing core are service modules: the Financial Opportunity Center + Housing Hub, the HUD-approved Housing Counseling Program, the Down Payment Loan Program, the SPARC (Sponsoring Partnerships & Revitalizing Communities) first-time homebuyer loan program, Rental Counseling, and the Accessibility Grants (RUAM and Granting Freedom). PHA also co-administers the Piedmont Community Land Trust to extend shared-equity homeownership, and operates ancillary outreach channels such as classes, webinars, and a community resources program. Together the communities and the wraparound programs form a single integrated housing-stability offering rather than a standalone SaaS-style product suite.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kindlewood: Community name adopted in June 2023 for the former Friendship Court 150-unit affordable housing community in Charlottesville, VA, undergoing a four-phase, zero-displacement redevelopment led by Piedmont Housing Alliance.
• Build the Future

Products and services

• Kindlewood (formerly Friendship Court) A 150-unit, four-phase zero-displacement affordable housing community in downtown Charlottesville undergoing phased redevelopment. Jointly owned with National Housing Trust; built in 1978 with project-based Section 8. Renamed Kindlewood in June 2023.
• Monticello Vista Apartments A 50-unit affordable senior (55+) and accessible apartment community in the Belmont neighborhood of Charlottesville, VA.
• Woods Edge Apartments A 97-unit affordable 1 and 2-bedroom apartment community for seniors 55+ located off Rio Road in Charlottesville, VA, featuring a dog park, workout room, and community garden.
• Crozet Meadows Apartments Fourplex and duplex homes built to EarthCraft green building and Universal Design standards for residents 55+ and people with disabilities, located in Crozet, Albemarle County, VA.
• Scottsville School Apartments A 34-unit adaptive reuse of the historic Scottsville School building for seniors 55+ and people with disabilities, located in Scottsville, VA; renovated in 2012.
• Ryan School Apartments 32-unit historic school conversion offering 1 and 2-bedroom apartments for seniors 62+ and people with disabilities in Shipman, Nelson County, VA; managed in partnership with JABA.
• Timberlake Place Apartments Affordable senior (55+) apartment community in the Woolen Mills neighborhood of Charlottesville, VA, operated in partnership with JABA.
• Virnita Court Apartments 16 affordable 1 and 2-bedroom apartment units in the Rose Hill neighborhood of Charlottesville, VA.
• Cynthianna Avenue Duplex A six-unit affordable 1 and 2-bedroom duplex located at 802 Cynthianna Ave. in the Rose Hill neighborhood of Charlottesville, VA; HVAC systems replaced via Dominion Energy/LEAP EnergyShare grant.
• Hickory Hope Apartments A 1, 2, and 3-bedroom affordable apartment community in the Southwood Neighborhood of Albemarle County, VA; building permit approved March 6, 2023, with leasing managed by S.L. Nusbaum.
• Financial Opportunity Center + Housing Hub Co-located financial coaching, employment counseling, and housing services operated under the LISC Financial Opportunity Centers national network at 806 E. High St. in downtown Charlottesville; offers drop-in orientations and integrated employment assistance, financial coaching, financial empowerment, housing counseling, housing navigation, and housing stability case management.
• Housing Counseling Program Free one-on-one HUD-approved pre-purchase, post-purchase, rental, foreclosure prevention, fair housing education, and budgeting/credit counseling delivered by certified counselors; PHA is a HUD-approved Housing Counseling Agency and adheres to National Industry Standards for Homeownership Education and Counseling.
• SPARC First-Time Homebuyer Loan Program First-time homebuyer lending program administered by PHA as a US Treasury-certified CDFI under an $18,000,000 allocation from Virginia Housing through the SPARC (Sponsoring Partnerships & Revitalizing Communities) program, providing below-market financing to first-time homebuyers in Planning District 10.
• Down Payment Loan Program Down payment and closing-cost assistance loans for income-qualified first-time homebuyers, delivered through PHA's status as a HUD FHA Secondary Financing Entity and a US Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), with up to 1% mortgage interest rate reduction.
• Rental Counseling One-on-one counseling for renters covering lease understanding, tenant rights, budgeting, fair housing, and pathways to PHA-managed affordable housing; includes a free Rental Counseling Fact Sheet.
• Accessibility Grants (RUAM and Granting Freedom) Grant-funded accessibility modifications for low-income residents and disabled veterans with service-connected disabilities, delivered through VHDA's Rental Unit Accessibility Modification (RUAM) and Granting Freedom programs; PHA serves as VHDA's agent for application assistance.
• Build the Future Campaign Piedmont Housing Alliance's fundraising and programmatic initiative supporting eviction prevention, housing stability, and the sustainability of the affordable housing portfolio in Planning District 10.
• Piedmont Community Land Trust (shared-equity homeownership) Community land trust co-administered with PHA that creates permanently affordable homeownership opportunities through shared-equity resale restrictions for low- and moderate-income households.

Quantifiable outcome

• 31 households stabilized through eviction prevention at an average cost of $1,200 per family (since August 2024)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship (joint owner and co-developer of kindlewood/friendship court), core (umbrella organization for pha's financial opportunity center), flagship (key government partner across multiple projects), minor, major (joint venture - habitat carlton alliance), core (partner for senior communities), minor (byob entrepreneurship workshop partner and frtf member), minor (financial resiliency task force member), core (architect of record for kindlewood redevelopment), core (site engineer for kindlewood), minor (consultant on friendship court redevelopment), minor (rebranding support for kindlewood), minor (leasing partner for hickory hope), minor (build the future campaign supporter), core (chartered member of network), core (cores certifying body), core (government service area), minor (covid-19 testing and vaccine clinic partner) and major ($3.8m funding, 71 low-income apartments, grocery store, community space).

• National Housing Trust (NHT) / NHT Communities (NHTC)flagship (joint owner and co-developer of kindlewood/friendship court)Strategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2002, PHA and NHT/Enterprise Preservation Corporation partnered to acquire and renovate Friendship Court, preserving it as affordable housing. PHA and NHT jointly own the property. NHT/E oversaw management while PHA coordinated services until June 2019 when PHA took over management. NHTC maintains an ownership interest in nearly 4,000 units in 34 communities.
• LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation)core (umbrella organization for pha's financial opportunity center)Strategic or Co-development PartnerThere are more than 100 FOCs across the country working under LISC's umbrella. PHA operates the Charlottesville FOC + Housing Hub at 806 E. High St. under this relationship. LISC also administers the AmeriCorps Economic Mobility Corps program at PHA.
• City of Charlottesvilleflagship (key government partner across multiple projects)Strategic or Co-development PartnerCity Council approved $3.8M in funding for 501 Cherry Ave. mixed-use project, $700,000 from Capital Improvement Program Contingency Fund, and tax increment financing performance agreement (100% property tax forgiveness over 30 years, ~$8M) for the 501 Cherry Ave. project. PHA also partners with the City on the Fifeville grocery store, affordable housing, and community space project and on the Carlton Mobile Home Park preservation.
• Fifeville Neighborhood AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating with the City of Charlottesville, PHA, and a developer on the 501 Cherry Avenue project in Fifeville to address the area's food desert and promote community development.
• Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesvillemajor (joint venture - habitat carlton alliance)Strategic or Co-development PartnerOn September 20, 2024, PHA and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville announced a new joint venture - The Habitat Carlton Alliance (HCA) - and the Carlton closing in partnership with the City of Charlottesville. Also a member of the Financial Resiliency Task Force.
• Jefferson Area Board for Aging (JABA)core (partner for senior communities)Strategic or Co-development PartnerJABA partners with PHA on Timberlake Place Apartments (Woolen Mills) and Ryan School Apartments (Shipman, Nelson County) - both senior housing communities.
• Community Investment Collaborative (CIC)minor (byob entrepreneurship workshop partner and frtf member)Strategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted the BYOB Entrepreneurship Workshop (March 31, 2023) with PHA's Family Self-Sufficiency / Community Wealth-Building Programs. Also a core member of the Financial Resiliency Task Force.
• Network2Work@PVCCminor (financial resiliency task force member)Strategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Financial Resiliency Task Force (FRTF) - a coalition of nine core nonprofits closing the racial wealth gap in greater Charlottesville. FRTF aims to serve 650 families of color by Summer 2027.
• City of Promiseminor (financial resiliency task force member)Strategic or Co-development PartnerCore partner in the Financial Resiliency Task Force (FRTF).
• Monticello Area Community Action Agency (MACAA)minor (financial resiliency task force member)Strategic or Co-development PartnerCore partner in the Financial Resiliency Task Force. Promoted its 2023 Community Needs Assessment Survey.
• New Hill Development Corporationminor (financial resiliency task force member)Strategic or Co-development PartnerCore partner in the Financial Resiliency Task Force (FRTF).
• Uhuru Foundationminor (financial resiliency task force member)Strategic or Co-development PartnerCore partner in the Financial Resiliency Task Force (FRTF).
• United Way of Greater Charlottesvilleminor (financial resiliency task force member)Strategic or Co-development PartnerCore partner in the Financial Resiliency Task Force (FRTF).
• Grimm and Parkercore (architect of record for kindlewood redevelopment)Implementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner44-year-old firm with offices in Charlottesville, Tysons Corner, VA and Calverton, MD, specializing in mixed-use and mixed-income residential structures, parks, and community spaces. Serves as architect on the Kindlewood/Friendship Court redevelopment.
• Timmons Groupcore (site engineer for kindlewood)Implementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal engineering firm with 11 Mid-Atlantic offices, including a local Charlottesville office. Craig Kotarski is the engineering project manager for the Kindlewood redevelopment, also advising Stantec as a design team consultant.
• Studio O (Liz Ogbu)minor (consultant on friendship court redevelopment)Implementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLiz Ogbu, Founder and Principal of Studio O, is an architect and social innovation strategist trained at Wellesley College and the Harvard School of Design. Consults on projects globally, translating community desires into design.
• Marc Norman (Loeb Fellow, Harvard GSD)minor (consultant on friendship court redevelopment)Implementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInternationally recognized expert on policy and finance for affordable housing and community development. Consults on the Friendship Court redevelopment to make the vision financially sound and sustainable long-term.
• Iconographminor (rebranding support for kindlewood)Implementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal creative design studio that provided support and guidance to the resident-led Rebranding Committee that renamed Friendship Court to Kindlewood.
• S.L. Nusbaum (Hickory Hope Apartments)minor (leasing partner for hickory hope)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorS.L. Nusbaum manages leasing operations for Hickory Hope Apartments in the Southwood Neighborhood of Albemarle County.
• Mosaic Real Estate Groupminor (build the future campaign supporter)GTM or Marketing PartnerLogo listed as a Build the Future campaign supporter.
• Tiger Solarminor (build the future campaign supporter)GTM or Marketing PartnerLogo listed as a Build the Future campaign supporter.
• Eagle Corporationminor (build the future campaign supporter)GTM or Marketing PartnerLogo listed as a Build the Future campaign supporter.
• BRW Architectsminor (build the future campaign supporter)GTM or Marketing PartnerLogo listed as a Build the Future campaign supporter.
• NeighborWorks Americacore (chartered member of network)Strategic or Co-development PartnerChartered Member of the NeighborWorks network. PHA's homeownership and counseling work is connected to NeighborWorks standards, training and resources.
• Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) - COREScore (cores certifying body)Strategic or Co-development PartnerPHA is certified by SAHF as a Certified Organization for Resident Engagement and Services (CORES), demonstrating commitment to robust resident services in affordable housing communities.
• Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson Counties (Planning District 10)core (government service area)Strategic or Co-development PartnerService area partnerships - PHA delivers affordable housing, housing counseling, and financial services across these five counties plus the City of Charlottesville as part of Planning District 10.
• University of Virginia (UVA) Healthminor (covid-19 testing and vaccine clinic partner)Strategic or Co-development PartnerUVA Health partnered with PHA to host testing and vaccine clinics at Friendship Court and other PHA communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• City of Charlottesville - Fifeville grocery/housing project (developer partner unnamed)major ($3.8m funding, 71 low-income apartments, grocery store, community space)Strategic or Co-development PartnerOn April 8, 2026, Charlottesville City Council approved $3.8M for the 501 Cherry Avenue project in Fifeville, Virginia - a grocery store, affordable housing (71 low-income apartments), and community space, in collaboration between the city, PHA, a developer, and the Fifeville Neighborhood Association.

Scale indicators23 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Community Builders: Nonprofit affordable housing developer and operator combining mixed-income development, property management, and resident services; comparable integrated model to PHA's Kindlewood approach.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National CDFI that operates the Financial Opportunity Center network under which PHA runs the Charlottesville FOC. Directly comparable as a multi-service community development intermediary, although LISC is far larger.
• Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF): National nonprofit affordable housing network and the certifying body for the CORES resident services standard that PHA holds. Highly relevant as the convener of operators running similar CORES-certified portfolios.
• Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH): National nonprofit that acquires, preserves, and operates affordable rental housing with comprehensive resident services, mirroring PHA's preservation-led approach and resident-services orientation.
• National Housing Trust: National nonprofit that preserves and operates affordable rental housing and is the joint owner of PHA's Kindlewood/Friendship Court property. Closely comparable model combining acquisition, rehabilitation, ownership, and resident services.
• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit CDFI combining affordable housing development, lending, and resident services with place-based community development, broadly analogous to PHA's integrated platform but at much larger scale.
• NHP Foundation: Nonprofit affordable housing operator focused on resident services and supportive housing; comparable model as a mission-driven owner/operator with wraparound services for low-income households.
• Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville: Local Habitat affiliate and PHA's joint-venture partner in the Habitat Carlton Alliance. Closest geography-level peer, also focused on affordable homeownership and rental housing in the Charlottesville market.

Broad incumbents

• Virginia Housing: Commonwealth of Virginia's housing finance agency and PHA's largest single funder via the $18M SPARC allocation, $13.665M ASNH loans, and ongoing programmatic support. Compares as a regulator/funder rather than a direct operating peer.
• NeighborWorks America: National network of more than 250 chartered community development organizations of which PHA is a member. Broader industry umbrella and funding conduit rather than a directly competing operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PiedmontHousing
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PiedmontHousingVA
• Facebookfacebook.com/PiedmontHousingAlliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/piedmont-housing-alliance

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Piedmont Housing Alliance