RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — One Richmonder is seeing her lifelong dream of becoming a homeowner finally come true thanks to a unique partnership between Richmond’s housing authority and a local advocacy organization. On Thursday, March 12, the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RRHA) cele brated resident Tina Silva as the first recipient of the agency’s Come Home Homeownership Initiative, who purchased her first new home on March 6. “I was really amazed and excited to have a new home, which I always wanted to have when I was young,” said Silva. “It’s something that I always wanted to have. I was speechless." Silva, who joined the program in 2025, used her section 8 housing choice voucher to acquire a 3-bedroom, 3-bath home in Richmond thanks to the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA). The HUD-approved nonprofit housing advocacy organization that helps tenants to find the best affordable home loans and housing education. “They attend the HUD homebuyers’ workshop, and then they come in,” said mortgage loan originator Shanniece Jones. “They have one-on-one counseling with the neighborhood counselor, a housing counselor, to get NACA qualified and begin their homeownership journey.” Participants must meet specific eligibility requirements like having a stable income, an on-time payment history and being a registered voter. Silva said the yearlong process wasn’t easy but said consistency helped to make her desire for homeownership possible. “You want something in life; you have to get it,” said Silva. “I feel that this organization (NACA) is willing to help the people that want to go forward to have their own home.” RRHA CEO Steven Nesmith announced that partnerships with other lending groups like Bank of America and Truist will be coming this summer. ...read more read less