VHA is excited to present another member of our 2025–2026 VISTA cohort, Emily London, who is serving as the Housing Partnership Development VISTA with Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) in Charlottesville, VA.
About Emily:
Emily London grew up in Bethesda, Maryland and recently graduated from Rice University, where she majored in Public Policy Analysis and Linguistics. She’s passionate about creating thriving communities that are affordable for the people who live there and is excited to contribute to addressing housing needs at her VISTA placement. She hopes to build on past internship experiences focused on affordable housing and community development and eventually pursue a master’s degree in urban planning. In her free time, Emily enjoys reading, puzzles, music, and trying new coffeeshops with her friends.
Project:
Through her term at the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, Emily has worked to strengthen regional collaboration on housing affordability and increase long-term capacity for the Central Virginia Regional Housing Partnership (RHP). A significant portion of her work has focused on increasing engagement among stakeholders by developing a monthly newsletter to share housing-related news and events and recruiting speakers for the RHP’s quarterly meetings. Speakers bring fresh ideas from outside of the region, covering a range of relevant topics including grant opportunities, program ideas, and research on housing strategies. Through this work, Emily aims to grow the RHP’s capacity as an educational and resource-sharing body.
In addition to supporting member engagement, Emily has played a key role in coordinating events and refining resources. This spring, she has organized a public-facing webinar series, bringing in experts to share information on topics like housing policy and re-entry housing. The webinars have expanded opportunities for community members, local officials, and housing professionals to learn from subject-matter experts and engage in regional conversations about housing challenges and solutions. Emily has also supported the development of internal tools, researched new funding sources, and maintained existing databases to keep them up-to-date.
Alongside these initiatives, Emily has contributed to regional housing research and data-driven decision-making efforts, including through involvement with the TJPDC’s Regional Housing Study. She has supported the collection and analysis of housing data, stakeholder feedback, and community perspectives to inform housing planning and policy discussions. This work supports a stronger understanding of housing challenges across the region and helps inform local planning and policy decisions.
By strengthening communication systems, fostering regional collaboration, and supporting evidence-based housing initiatives, Emily’s work is helping build a stronger network of organizations committed to expanding housing opportunities across Central Virginia. After concluding her service term, Emily will be going on to pursue a Master’s in City Planning at the University of Pennsylvania, building on her VISTA service through a focus on local strategies for housing affordability and community development. If you are interested in discussing these initiatives further or exploring potential collaborations, please reach out to Emily at housingvista@tjpdc.org.