Sunshine Mathon, Executive Director
“As Piedmont Housing Alliance works to ensure all our neighbors are safely and affordably housed, we acknowledge the ways that Black Americans and other people of color have been disproportionately harmed by laws and practices that have prevented wealth building. We know that the same is true of environmental harm. We are honored to join the Green Business Alliance and look forward to working with our partners to transform the racialized geography of our lived environment and reshape the link between race and life outcomes.”
About Piedmont Housing Alliance
Since 1983, Piedmont Housing Alliance has been the premier nonprofit affordable housing organization in the greater Charlottesville region. Our mission is to create affordable housing opportunities and foster community through education, lending, and equitable development. Our continuum of services and resources has assisted more than 1,000 low-income households purchase a home; supported thousands more through financial counseling services; backed the financing and construction of 100+ affordable single-family homes; financed the preservation, construction, and rehabilitation of nearly 1,000 affordable rental homes; and we currently manage nearly 700 affordable rental homes.
Piedmont Housing Alliance’s Commitment to Sustainability
As an organization with a mission-driven responsibility to think broadly and long-term, Piedmont Housing Alliance strives to align energy efficiency, durability, cost mitigation, climate impact, and resilience planning, especially evident in our efforts in the Kindlewood community. The resident-led redevelopment process there has trained residents in land use and community design practices, bringing them to the table as co-designers and experts on the specific challenges and aspirations of their community. They have elevated both health-related and utility-cost concerns, recognizing the significant and disproportionate burden these aspects of housing historically have on low-wealth families. Core to the community transformation of Kindlewood is an opportunity to develop the new neighborhood as the most sustainable housing at scale—whether affordable or market rate—in Virginia.
Our Partnership with the Green Business Alliance
Piedmont Housing Alliance is excited to continue to strengthen our partnership with C3 and grow our relationships with other members of the Green Business Alliance partners. We are currently planning to collaborate with C3 to transition older properties away from harmful natural gas to safer electric power. With the support and thought partnership of the local nonprofits and businesses that comprise the GBA, we believe that a more equitable and just Charlottesville is achievable. Onward and upward!
Kindlewood residents
Aerial view of Kindlewood redevelopment construction
Check out Piedmont Housing Alliance on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and their website www.piedmonthousingalliance.org.