Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia

What Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia does

Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia (HOME) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and HUD-approved housing counseling agency founded in 1971 in Richmond, Virginia, as the state's first fair housing organization. HOME delivers a portfolio of integrated services to Virginia residents at no charge, including fair housing enforcement (discrimination investigations, paired testing, systemic investigations, and litigation), homeownership education and down payment assistance, foreclosure prevention counseling, mobility counseling for Housing Choice Voucher holders, eviction diversion, and state-level housing policy research and advocacy. The organization is staffed by an interdisciplinary team of staff attorneys, investigators, policy advocates, and HUD-certified housing counselors across departments including Advocacy, Enforcement, Counseling, Policy, Community Engagement, Communications, Finance, Grants, and Development.

HOME's business model is grant- and donation-funded rather than revenue-generating: all client services are provided free of charge, with revenue drawn from individual and corporate donations, HUD housing counseling grants, foundation and government grants, and a flagship corporate partnership with Wells Fargo (over $4 million since 2017 for homeownership programs in African American communities). The organization has no technology product stack — its platform is human-delivered service delivery — and it derives strategic leverage from a 50+ year track record of precedent-setting litigation (Havens Realty Corp. v. Coleman, HOME v. Nationwide, Saunders v. GSC, Pitts v. Matthews, HOME v. Shockoe Valley View, and Sterling Glen), HUD regulatory standing, and an integrated ecosystem of coalition, academic, and corporate partners across Virginia.

HOME is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors (2025–26 officers include Christy Omarzai as Chair, Dale S. Batten, Mona A. Raza, and Stephanie Theofanos as Vice Chairs, Elizabeth Hancock Greenfield as Secretary, and Liz Doerr as Treasurer) and is led by Executive Director Tom Okuda Fitzpatrick. The organization operates from a single Richmond headquarters serving the entire state of Virginia, with outreach via a multilingual website (English, Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese, Korean, Arabic), active social media, community partnerships, and HUD referrals.

Name

Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia

Legal name

Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia, Inc.

Website

https://homeofva.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and HUD-approved housing counseling agency founded in 1971 in Richmond, serving Virginia residents with free fair housing enforcement, homeownership and foreclosure counseling, mobility counseling, and housing policy research and advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fair Housing and Housing Counseling Services

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Fair housing enforcement
• Housing counseling services
• Homeownership education
• Foreclosure prevention
• Housing discrimination investigations

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual and corporate donations received through the organization's website and direct mail campaigns. The organization accepts checks, stock donations, and planned giving.
2. Wells Fargo Partnership: Partnership with Wells Fargo providing over $4 million in program support and down payment assistance to increase homeownership opportunities for African Americans in the Richmond metropolitan region.
3. HUD Housing Counseling: As a HUD-approved housing counseling agency, HOME receives funding for providing housing counseling services including homeownership education, foreclosure prevention, and mobility counseling.
4. Foundation and Government Grants: Grants from foundations and government agencies to support fair housing enforcement, research, and policy advocacy work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

HOME of VA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and HUD-approved housing counseling agency that provides free fair housing enforcement (investigations, testing, and litigation against discrimination), homeownership education with down payment assistance, foreclosure prevention counseling, mobility counseling for Housing Choice Voucher holders, eviction diversion services, and statewide housing policy research and advocacy. All services are delivered at no cost to Virginia residents.

Product overview

Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia (HOME) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and HUD-approved housing counseling agency offering a suite of interconnected programs centered on fair housing enforcement, housing counseling, and housing policy research. The core product portfolio consists of Fair Housing Enforcement (testing and legal action against discrimination), Homeownership Education and Assistance (including down payment assistance and workshops), Foreclosure Prevention counseling, the Move to Opportunity Program for Housing Choice Voucher holders, and Eviction Diversion services. These programs are supported by Housing Policy and Research, which provides data-driven advocacy and legislative engagement, and the Tester Program, which deploys trained testers to gather evidence of discrimination. All services are provided at no charge to clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fair Housing Enforcement Investigates instances of housing discrimination, enforces fair housing laws through complaints and court action, and empowers individuals to advocate for their rights through testing programs. Targets discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, disability, age, source of funds, sexual orientation, gender identity, and military status.
• Homeownership Education and Assistance HUD-approved housing counseling and education programs that help clients become and remain successful homeowners, including down payment assistance and first-time homebuyer guidance for Virginia residents.
• Foreclosure Prevention Housing counseling services for clients behind on their mortgage or facing foreclosure, providing guidance and support to help homeowners avoid losing their homes through workout negotiations with lenders and loan modification assistance.
• Move to Opportunity Program Counseling and support services for Housing Choice Voucher holders seeking to move to areas of opportunity, including mobility counseling, housing search assistance, and landlord negotiations.
• Eviction Diversion Program Program aimed at preventing evictions and connecting tenants with resources to resolve housing disputes before reaching court eviction.
• Housing Policy and Research Research and policy work analyzing housing trends, economic impact of segregation and discrimination, and advocating for statewide policy change through legislative engagement.
• Tester Program A fair housing testing program that uses trained volunteer testers (simulating housing transactions) to gather evidence of discriminatory treatment by housing providers in rental, sales, insurance, or lending markets.
• Money Management and Credit Workshop A free monthly online workshop teaching financial skills for managing budgets, debt, and credit, open to the general public.

Quantifiable outcome

• Largest civil rights verdict in U.S. history: $100.5 million initial verdict against Nationwide Insurance for redlining, $17.5 million settlement
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Allies for Housing ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member working collaboratively on housing advocacy initiatives in Virginia
• Commonwealth Housing CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner working on affordable housing advocacy across Virginia
• Homes for All Our NeighborscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner focused on housing affordability and advocacy
• Virginia Commonwealth UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on housing and school segregation studies, including 'Can We Learn and Live Together' reports in 2017 and 2024
• University of RichmondcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on housing segregation and equity studies in the Richmond region
• Partnership for Housing AffordabilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partner on 2024 'Can We Live and Learn Together 2.0' study on housing and school segregation
• The Commonwealth InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration partner on 2024 housing and segregation study

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Connecticut Fair Housing Center: The Connecticut Fair Housing Center is a statewide fair housing organization providing enforcement, testing, and education to Connecticut residents. It is directly comparable to HOME in its statewide scope, integrated enforcement-and-counseling model, and nonprofit funding structure.
• Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center: The Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center is a regional fair housing organization providing testing, enforcement, and education across Louisiana. It is directly comparable to HOME as a Southern-based fair housing organization with similar enforcement-and-counseling integrated service portfolio.
• Fair Housing Justice Center: The Fair Housing Justice Center is a New York and New Jersey-based fair housing organization providing enforcement, testing, and education. It is directly comparable to HOME in mission and service delivery, operating in an adjacent regional market with similar urban-suburban fair housing challenges.
• Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council: The Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council provides fair housing enforcement, testing, and education across Wisconsin. It is directly comparable to HOME as a single-state fair housing organization with an integrated enforcement and education service portfolio.
• Open Communities: Open Communities is a Chicago-area fair housing organization providing fair housing testing, enforcement, and counseling. It is directly comparable to HOME as a regional fair housing nonprofit with a comparable enforcement-plus-counseling service mix serving a single metropolitan market.
• Equal Rights Center: The Equal Rights Center is a DC-based fair housing and disability rights organization that conducts fair housing testing, enforcement, and education in the National Capital Region. It is directly comparable to HOME's tester-driven enforcement model and counseling services.
• Atlanta Fair Housing Center: The Atlanta Fair Housing Center is a regional fair housing organization serving the Atlanta metro area with enforcement, testing, and counseling services. It is directly comparable to HOME in mission, service portfolio (enforcement plus counseling plus policy), and nonprofit operating model, just in a different Southern state.

Broad incumbents

• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): LISC is a national nonprofit community development financial institution that funds affordable housing, economic development, and neighborhood revitalization across the US. It is a broad peer to HOME because both are nonprofit intermediaries channeling public and private capital toward housing access and community equity, though LISC operates at much larger scale and across multiple states.
• Enterprise Community Partners: Enterprise Community Partners is a major national nonprofit working to expand affordable housing through development financing, advocacy, and research. It is comparable to HOME as a mission-aligned housing nonprofit with policy advocacy and community-development funding components, but Enterprise operates nationally and at significantly larger scale.
• National Fair Housing Alliance: The National Fair Housing Alliance is the national umbrella organization for fair housing groups in the US, coordinating policy advocacy, enforcement training, and member support. It is comparable to HOME as the highest-level peer organization in the fair housing space, though NFHA operates federally while HOME is Virginia-focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HOMEofVirginia
• Facebookfacebook.com/HOMEofVA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/housing-opportunities-made-equal-of-virginia-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/homeofva
• Xx.com/homeofva

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia