The VHA provides affordable rental housing and housing assistance for more than 12,000 residents of Clark County, Washington. In addition to affordable housing, the VHA's community development activities also shape the lives of the people and neighborhoods we serve.
Our mission is to provide opportunities to people who experience barriers to housing because of income, disability, or special needs in an environment which preserves personal dignity, and in a manner which maintains the public trust.
In carrying out our mission, we are committed to: vital neighborhoods, respect for VHA clients and employees, excellence in management and operations, cooperative and respectful working relationships with the public, neighborhood and community organizations, other units of local government, and dispersal of assisted housing throughout Clark County.
The VHA was established in 1942 for the purpose of housing an influx of employees to the aluminum and shipyard industries during World War II. During that time, the VHA built 1,000 permanent homes and 11,396 temporary units capable of housing 50,000 people. When the war was over the temporary units were sold to buyers who agreed to dismantle and remove them. The land was then re-developed into some of Vancouver's best-planned neighborhoods.
In the 1960s the VHA assumed the primary role we still hold today, providing subsidized housing for low-income families, elderly, and disabled people. As a low-income housing provider, we have partnered with various community groups along the way, resulting in the creation of Columbia Non-Profit Housing in 1981 and the Council for the Homeless in 1989.
In the early 1990s the VHA became a diversified housing authority by purchasing our first Workforce Housing property. As we continue to serve extremely low-income families, elderly, and disabled people, investing in workforce housing and community development allows the VHA to reduce our dependence on federal funding sources and meet local policy goals.
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