RICHMOND,
Va.
—
A
second
attempt
to
make
unmarried
couples,
including
same-sex
couples,
eligible
for
low-interest
home
financing
loans
is
underway
in
Virginia.
The
Virginia
Housing
Development
Authority
will
hold
a
public
hearing
on
July
24
to
debate
changing
its
19-year-old
“family
rule,”
which
stipulates
that
only
Virginia
citizens
related
by
“blood,
marriage,
or
adoption”
qualify
for
VHDA’s
public
home
lending
program.
The
board
could
vote
on
the
change
as
early
as
July
25.
“The
change
would
impact
a
pretty
broad
range
of
people,”
said
Dyana
Mason,
executive
director
of
Equality
Virginia,
a
statewide
gay
rights
advocacy
group.
“It
would
permanently
benefit
disabled
people,
single
mothers,
low-income
people
and
anyone
else
who
needs
assistance
in
applying
for
a
low-income
loan.
And
getting
more
Virginians
into
homes
is
a
good
thing
for
the
state
in
terms
of
long-term
economic
development.”
The
10-member,
governor-appointed
board
tried
to
amend
the
“family
rule”
in
January
2002
but
were
“bullied”
by
social
conservatives,
notably
the
Family
Foundation
of
Virginia,
from
making
such
changes,
Mason
said.
“Some
of
the
more
conservative
members
of
the
General
Assembly
threatened
to
make
the
family
rule
law,
and
it
scared
off
the
VHDA
for
it
would
have
taken
away
their
responsibility,”
Mason
said.
The
Family
Foundation
has
criticized
Democratic
Gov.
Mark
Warner
for
appointing
members
to
the
board
that
they
say
will
support
the
“effort
by
the
homosexual
activist
lobby
in
Virginia
to
change
the
definition
of
family.”
Gay
Arlington
County
Board
Member
Jay
Fisette,
who
was
appointed
to
the
VHDA
board
by
Warner,
said
despite
the
protestations
of
the
Family
Foundation,
the
change
would
not
alter
Virginia’s
definition
of
family.
“The
rest
of
the
country
continues
to
have
their
definition
of
family
intact
while
private
mortgage
lenders
and
housing
authorities
in
49
states
don’t
discriminate
against
unmarried
couples,
single
moms,
senior
citizens
or
two
college
students,”
Fisette
said.
In
an
e-mail
sent
to
supporters,
the
Family
Foundation
said
that
for
the
state
to
grant
loans
to
“any
combination
of
individuals
is
bad
business.”
To
support
their
claims,
the
foundation
argued
that
“studies
show
that
cohabitating
couples
rarely
stay
together
beyond
five
years”
and
that
this
is
“particularly
true
for
homosexual
relationships.”
They
also
argue
that
if
the
“family
rule”
is
removed
by
the
VHDA,
then
that
would
signal
a
“tacit
endorsement
by
a
state
agency
of
cohabitation
and
homosexuality.”
Fisette
said
that
the
Family
Foundation
remains
“isolated”
and
“alone”
on
this
issue.
“It
really
is
somewhat
sad
that
they
are
so
out
of
touch
with
mainstream
business
communities,”
Fisette
said.
“Realtors,
banks,
developers
all
disagree
with
their
narrow
view.
Not
only
are
they
isolated
on
this
issue
but
because
of
them,
Virginia
is
isolated,
as
it
is
the
only
state
in
America
with
such
a
discriminatory
rule.”
Mason
said
the
Family
Foundation
was
espousing
“extreme
rhetoric”
and
were
trying
to
“scare
fair-minded
Virginians”
away
from
supporting
the
regulation
change.
“Most
federal
agencies
don’t
have
this
restriction,”
Mason
said.
“If
the
VHDA
were
to
adopt
this
change,
we
would
simply
be
just
getting
in
line
with
other
states.”
The
Family
Foundation
did
not
return
calls
seeking
comment.
Gov.
Warner’s
office
did
not
return
calls
for
this
article,
but
officials
told
the
Richmond
Times-Dispatch
that
the
“family
rule”
violates
VHDA’s
mission
and
values.
The
agency
seeks
to
help
those
in
need
obtain
decent
housing.
“For
the
governor,
it
is
just
this
simple:
Moving
renters
to
home
ownership
is
good
for
Virginia’s
communities,”
Ellen
Qualls,
the
governor’s
press
secretary,
told
the
Times-Dispatch.
“VHDA’s
lending
policy
has
been
more
restrictive
than
any
other
in
the
industry,
including
affordable-housing
agencies
and
programs
in
every
other
state
in
the
nation
—
which
view
broad
lending
practices
as
good
business
practices.”
VHDA
changed
the
policy
in
1994
to
allow
unmarried
couples
to
apply
for
loans
but
then-Gov.
George
Allen,
a
Republican,
objected
to
the
change
in
policy
and
tried
to
prevent
it,
saying
it
would
encourage
gay
and
unmarried
couples
to
live
together.
The
board
defied
Allen’s
wishes
and
voted
6-1
to
eliminate
the
rule.
But
after
a
heated
public
debate
in
1996
on
whether
gay
couples
should
qualify,
the
board
reinstated
the
previous
guidelines.
In
late
2001,
the
board
proposed
to
eliminate
the
rule,
after
a
statewide
assessment
showed
that
the
policy
was
an
obstacle
for
low-income
housing
residents,
primarily
single
women,
the
elderly
and
disabled.
The
board
is
comprised
of
10
members,
including
the
treasurer
of
Virginia,
a
representative
from
the
state’s
Board
of
Housing
&
Community
Development,
the
director
of
the
Department
of
Housing
&
Community
Development,
and
seven
direct
appointees.
The
VHDA
did
not
return
calls
for
this
article.
Mason
expressed
confidence
that
the
VHDA
board
would
vote
to
change
the
“family
rule”
but
added
that
there
was
a
lot
of
work
to
do
to
“shore
up
supporters.”
She
said
she
hoped
many
supporters
would
attend
the
hearing
to
voice
their
support
for
the
change.
703
Concord
Ave.
Charlottesville,
VA
22903-5208
434-984-4655
www.virginia-organizing.org
One
Capitol
Square
830
E.
Main
St.,
Suite
1201
Richmond,
VA
23219
804-343-0010
www.familyfoundation.org
6
N
6th
St.,
LL3
Richmond,
VA
23219
804-643-4816
www.equalityvirginia.org
Thursday,
July
24,
3
p.m.
601
Blevidere
St.
Richmond,
VA
hearing@vhda.com
804-786-8241
