Emily London, Regional Housing VISTA
Emily joined the TJPDC in mid-August as part of an AmeriCorps Virginia Housing Alliance VISTA project, a statewide intermediary project with 17 Host Sites, that all work to either expand affordable housing opportunities and/or end homelessness throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Emily is a recent graduate of Rice University in Houston, TX, where she received a BA in Public Policy Analysis.
Q: What led you to working at the TJPDC?
A: I’m convinced that there are few, if any, sets of big cities in the United States more different from each other than where I grew up in the suburbs of Washington, DC, and where I went to college in Houston, Texas. Yet in both places, communities faced major housing affordability challenges that burdened their most vulnerable residents. Housing to me is the foundation for creating strong, vibrant places, but it is also a challenge with no universal solution. I became interested in understanding how to address housing issues within the context of a community and find place-based solutions. This interest drove me to work with housing non-profits, the regional planning agency for the greater Houston area, and eventually the TJPDC. I’m so excited to learn from the diverse perspectives and experiences of TJPDC staff and RHP members, as well as dive deeply into housing in the region.
Q: What is a fun fact that you would like to share?
A: I love puzzles, and in particular crosswords. I do the New York Times crossword puzzle every day (my longest streak without missing a day was almost 3 years long) and once even participated in a speed-solving competition.