Richmond Housing Authority is working to cycle more people out of public housing

RICHMOND, Va. — The city’s public housing authority is building a new program designed to cycle more people through public housing and into homeownership. Ramping up to a fourth-quarter launch, the initiative aims to help public housing residents buy their own homes by reconfiguring mortgage loan requirements, providing down payment assistance grants and educating current public housing residents about homeownership. Steven Nesmith, CEO at the Richmond Redevelopment & Housing Authority, or RRHA, said the program is the first of its kind nationwide.