Sacramento News & Review
Support Local Independent Journalism Sign up for our newsletter!
  • News
    • Crime Beat
    • COVID-19
    • Police Reform
    • Q&A
  • Voices
    • Greenlight
    • Essay
    • Fifteen Minutes
    • Ask Joey
    • Ask 420
  • Arts+Culture
    • Food
    • Music
    • Home & Garden
    • Rebooting the Arts
  • Calendar
  • Solving Sacramento
    • Rebooting the Arts
    • Housing
    • About Solving Sacramento
  • Sponsor Spotlight
  • Connect with SN&R
    • Become a supporter
    • Tax deductible support
    • Get the Newsletter
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
    • Contact Us
  • Archives
    • Best of Sac
    • Local Dining
    • SAMMIES
    • SN&R Print Archive
Hot Topics
  • March 9, 2021 | In light of recent deaths, Sacramento City Hall faces reckoning on warming centers
  • May 19, 2025 | Meet mentor and food blogger Alex Blaise, also known as SacBoyEats 
  • May 19, 2025 | Innovative Medi-Cal expansion threatened by budget and Trump pressures
  • May 16, 2025 | Three Sisters Gardens keeps youth connected through indigenous knowledge in West Sacramento 
  • May 15, 2025 | How one group of immigration attorneys is building community and battling courts as feds focus on increased deportations
  • May 15, 2025 | Essay: Yes, I am angry. But I also have hope
Spotlight Community

Being Neighborly

artist rending of 750 new affordable housing unitsProposed for a high-profile corner on Del Paso Boulevard, 1212 Village would bring needed affordable housing to North Sacrmento. Rendering courtesy Mogavero Architects

By: Anne Stokes October 28, 2021

VOA aims to serve residents and make its community a better place to live

Throughout the greater Sacramento region, Volunteers of America (VOA) operates a dozen subsidized housing complexes, offering 750 units of affordable housing. With their newest proposed project, the 1212 Village, VOA is hoping to create another 75 units of affordable housing for individuals and families on Del Paso Boulevard.

As legacy owners of most of these properties, VOA intends to keep these housing complexes affordable for the long term. It’s just as committed to providing a quality development and apartment homes as it is to being good neighbors in the communities the organization serve.

“This is today’s modern affordable housing, which can be beautifully done, if done well. It should look indistinguishable on the inside and the outside (from) market-rate housing,” says Doug Snyder, vice president, regional real estate development for VOA National Services. “Once completed curb appeal is really important to us, it’s going to be kept clean, we’ll have security, and we want to be a good neighbor. We want our residents to take pride in their homes and community.”

Professional management

At VOA-managed properties, management and staff are trained in industry best practices. On site staff are Certified Occupancy Specialists and Housing Credit Certified Professionals well versed in regulations for Low Income Housing Tax Credit programs and HUD. Today’s affordable housing developments have sophisticated financing associated with them. This means that VOA and multiple financial partners have long term compliance commitments which also ensure properties are well kept.

“Volunteers of America ensures … that out staff are trained and have the certifications required to meet funding and best management practices,” says Melissa Liou, controller and housing director for the local VOA affiliate. “We provide annual training around fair housing (and) we also do refreshers around maintenance … so not only are our administrative staff trained, we also have training for our maintenance staff.”

A benefit of a national operator, such as Volunteers of America, is we receive and follow national trends and best practices, says Snyder. The residents and community benefit from this.

Good curb appeal makes good neighbors

Inside and out, VOA-managed properties are well maintained and employ security measures that benefit both residents and surrounding neighborhoods. Secure access and 24-hour video surveillance as well as communal spaces and unit amenities are some of the investments VOA makes in its buildings.

“We put quartz tops and other durable materials in our properties because we’re legacy owners, we’re going to own these forever; plastic laminate will get beat up and will need to be replaced. We never sell anything,” Snyder explains. “The little things that impact the way people live are (things like) the signage, artwork, interior finishes and the landscaping. When you come up to a building that has nice signage and nice landscape, you think, ‘This is really welcoming.’”

Such commitment to quality is in line with VOA’s resident-centered approach to affordable housing and long-term investment in its affordable housing communities.

“The property — the beautification, the landscaping and the buildings — are all kept in great condition. And that’s because the dollars have been invested back into the actual property,” Liou says. “We haven’t had, like in the private sector, that pressure to return the dollars to the investor and VOA takes very seriously returning that investment back into the property.”

TOPICS:affordable housingDel Paso BoulevardHousingsacramentoseniorsVOAVolunteers of America

Our content is free, but not free to produce

If you value our local news, arts and entertainment coverage, become an SN&R supporter with a one-time or recurring donation. Help us keep our reporters at work, bringing you the stories that need to be told.

Become a supporter
Newsletter

Stay Updated

For the latest local news, arts and entertainment, sign up for our newsletter.
We'll tell you the story behind the story.

    • Previous post
    • Next post

    About the Sponsor

    Volunteers of America
    Founded locally in 1911, the Northern California & Northern Nevada affiliate of Volunteers of America is one of the largest providers of social services in the region. We provide shelter and housing to over 3,000 men, women, and children every night. https://www.voa-ncnn.org/

    Related Articles

    2020 election, News, Voices

    Editor’s note: We draw the lines


    Arts+Culture

    Heart to Art with Aida Lizalde


    Arts+Culture, Music

    Alienate your friends in ‘Five Songs or Less’


    Voices

    Letters: Transit tax, restaurants, homelessness


    Meet the sponsors

    • Berkeley Strategy Advisors
      Berkeley Strategy Advisors

      published 5 articles

    • BRIDGE Housing
      BRIDGE Housing

      published 3 articles

    • California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls
      California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls

      published 1 article

    • California Workforce Association
      California Workforce Association

      published 13 articles

    • City of Elk Grove
      City of Elk Grove

      published 11 articles

    • City of Roseville
      City of Roseville

      published 12 articles

    • Del Paso Boulevard Partnership
      Del Paso Boulevard Partnership

      published 28 articles

    • Exotic Plants
      Exotic Plants

      published 6 articles

    • Joshua's House Hospice
      Joshua's House Hospice

      published 4 articles

    • Midtown
      Midtown

      published 11 articles

    • MOVE The Valley
      MOVE The Valley

      published 10 articles

    • N&R Publications
      N&R Publications

      published 5 articles

    • Northern California Research
      Northern California Research

      published 10 articles

    • Sacramento County Department of Child Family and Adult Services
      Sacramento County Department of Child Family and Adult Services

      published 6 articles

    • Sacramento County Department of Child Support Services
      Sacramento County Department of Child Support Services

      published 5 articles

    • Sacramento County In-Home Supportive Services
      Sacramento County In-Home Supportive Services

      published 6 articles

    • Sacramento County Probation Department
      Sacramento County Probation Department

      published 11 articles

    • Sacramento Regional Transit District
      Sacramento Regional Transit District

      published 28 articles

    • SEIU
      SEIU

      published 30 articles

    • Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
      Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

      published 1 article

    • The California Endowment
      The California Endowment

      published 65 articles

    • Volunteers of America
      Volunteers of America

      published 8 articles

    • Workforce Development Board of Solano County
      Workforce Development Board of Solano County

      published 4 articles

    • Yuba Water Agency
      Yuba Water Agency

      published 8 articles

    Our Sponsors

    Berkeley Strategy Advisors BRIDGE Housing California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls California Workforce Association City of Elk Grove City of Roseville Del Paso Boulevard Partnership Exotic Plants Joshua's House Hospice Midtown MOVE The Valley N&R Publications Northern California Research Sacramento County Department of Child Family and Adult Services Sacramento County Department of Child Support Services Sacramento County In-Home Supportive Services Sacramento County Probation Department Sacramento Regional Transit District SEIU Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. The California Endowment Volunteers of America Workforce Development Board of Solano County Yuba Water Agency

    Categories

    Community

    Tags

    2020 affordable housing art astrology Black Lives Matter board of supervisors California cannabis City Council city hall climate change coronavirus COVID-19 COVID-19 in Sacramento Donald Trump election food gardening gavin newsom George Floyd homeless homelessness horoscopes jobs Joe Biden letters Mayor Darrell Steinberg music november election pandemic police reform president donald trump presidential election protests public health Q&A sacramento sacramento county Sacramento police Sacramento Regional Transit District SacRT SEIU Stephon Clark strong mayor taxes
    Newsletter

    Stay Updated

    For the latest local news, arts and entertainment, sign up for our newsletter.
    We'll tell you the story behind the story.

      Recent Posts
      • Meet mentor and food blogger Alex Blaise, also known as SacBoyEats 
      • Innovative Medi-Cal expansion threatened by budget and Trump pressures
      • Three Sisters Gardens keeps youth connected through indigenous knowledge in West Sacramento 
      • How one group of immigration attorneys is building community and battling courts as feds focus on increased deportations
      • Essay: Yes, I am angry. But I also have hope
      Links
      • Newsletter Signup
      • Follow us on Twitter
      • Find us on Facebook
      • SN&R Archives
      • Best of Sac
      • SAMMIES
      • RSS
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Service
      • Contact Us
      Become a supporter
      Categories
      • 2020 election (86)
      • Arts+Culture (920)
      • Ask Joey (1,017)
      • Cannabis (42)
      • COVID-19 (313)
      • Crime Beat (143)
      • Food (107)
      • Greenlight (492)
      • Home & Garden (81)
      • Housing (105)
      • Music (271)
      • News (1,674)
      • Q&A (34)
      • Rebooting the Arts (236)
      • Solving Sacramento (376)
      • Stage (66)
      • Voices (525)

      © 2019+ Sacramento News & Review