2022 was a year of mixed emotions as we prepared for the retirement of our CEO, Janaka Casper, after more than four decades with CHP. Beginning in 1976, Janaka helped transform CHP from an all-volunteer group providing home repairs in Virginia’s New River Valley to a leading affordable housing nonprofit serving the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. During his career, Janaka not only helped us reach thousands of residents and clients, but he also set the standard for dedication to CHP’s mission and vision. In late 2022, we came together with family and friends to celebrate and honor Janaka’s extraordinary achievements.
However, Janaka would be the first to tell you that the achievements for which he was being recognized did not belong to him alone. They were the result of years of commitment and hard work from CHP’s staff and partners. And 2022 was no exception—CHP’s employees continued to prioritize the well-being of our residents and clients through an unwavering commitment to improving housing stability among those we serve. Not only did we create and preserve affordable housing, but we also worked collaboratively to secure $4.2 million of emergency rental assistance for 901 households to ensure they remained safely housed.
Additionally, we extended the reach and impact of CHP Energy Solutions by expanding our weatherization programs into Southern Virginia and purchasing space for a new Training Center facility in Baltimore. We also added 41 new staff to the Energy Solutions division, enabling us to create healthier and more energy-efficient indoor environments for our clients.
CHP Resident Services prioritized our Stewardship value when it launched CHP Solar Savings, a partnership with Dimension Renewable Energy that will lower utility bills for our residents and help reduce carbon emissions. The program provides CHP residents with access to a shared solar arrangement resulting in guaranteed savings on their power bill every month. Resident Services also expanded CHP’s health-focused work with a 2022 Thome Aging Well grant from Enterprise Community Partners, allowing the expansion of health programs for senior residents at CHP’s two Baltimore communities: J. Van Story Branch Apartments and Primrose Place Apartments.
Finally, we are proud to share that we have completed the first year of our 2022-2024 Strategic Plan and have made progress toward all our three-year organizational goals and objectives. We invite you to explore this Community Impact Report that highlights how we are achieving our goals and staying true to Community Housing Partners’ mission. We are incredibly grateful for the dedication of our team and look forward to another successful year.
Strategic Goal 1: Positive Health and Quality of Life Outcomes
A key objective under Goal #1 is to prioritize and expand housing stability opportunities as a fundamental social determinant of health. CHP’s Resident Services staff prioritized health services to seniors in response to an aging national population dealing with chronic health conditions so that more seniors can successfully age in place. They also kept housing stability as a key focus area with collaborative outreach, engagement, and assistance to help CHP residents maintain stable rental housing or make a transition to homeownership.
Strategic Goal 2: Employer of Choice
A key objective under Goal #2 is to expand and improve upon recruitment and retention strategies to attract and retain talented, qualified, and diverse employees. The Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is a metric that reflects how likely employees are to recommend employment at an organization. Using the tool helps CHP measure employees’ levels of engagement, commitment, and overall happiness at work. The calculation of the eNPS leads to a score between -100 and 100 with a score over 20 considered good and a score over 40 considered excellent. CHP’s goal is to score over 40 on the eNPS every year to validate progress toward retention strategies. Year after year, CHP’s eNPS is well into the “excellent” range, indicating that our staff are happy and engaged at work.
Strategic Goal 3: Environmental Impact
A key objective under Goal #3 is to put systems and processes in place to assist residents and clients in reducing carbon emissions. CHP’s Energy Solutions staff work every day to create more energy-efficient homes through implementation of the federal Weatherization Assistance Program and utility-sponsored programs. Their work not only addresses health, safety, and comfort concerns, but also serves to reduce carbon emissions and lower the utility bills of the most energy-burdened households in Virginia. The departments’ ongoing growth continues to result in expanded impact and progress toward CHP’s environmental stewardship goals.
Strategic Goal 4: Prioritizing Investments
A key objective under Goal #4 is to prioritize investments in communities and individuals confronting social, environmental, and economic injustices – an effort driven by CHP’s Equity Statement. CHP’s leadership is committed to dedicating resources to opportunities that result in greater impact potential based on community need. To inform investment decision-making, CHP’s Business Intelligence (BI) team has developed a tool to measure the financial strength and progress toward meeting CHP’s mission for each property in CHP’s portfolio. The dynamic tool also includes a “what if?” analysis used to project movement within the quadrants based on different investment strategies.
Creating Opportunities
Making Rent Relief Count
At the height of the pandemic, CHP connected thousands of households across four states with more than $9.6 million in rent. In 2022 alone, CHP connected an impressive 1,692 households with more than $5.9 million in assistance before the Virginia Rent Relief Program concluded in May. “This program has not only promoted housing stability among our residents, but also boosted our organization’s financial stability,” said Sara Hoke, Housing Stability Manager for CHP Resident Services.
In 2022, CHP and Dimension Renewable Energy successfully launched Virginia’s first community solar program to bring the benefits of affordable solar power to households. Through this initiative, low-income households will have access to cheaper solar power generated on the Dominion electric grid, resulting in monthly savings on their power bills. At a kickoff event held at Townsquare at Dumfries, more than 50 residents enrolled in CHP Solar Savings. This work continued with sign-up events across CHP’s portfolio in 2023.
Located at the corner of Progress Street and Harding Avenue, a historic home recently renovated by the CHP Homeownership team is in a prime location near downtown Blacksburg, Virginia. CHP used AeroBarrier, a relatively new process that seals the entire house from the inside out, to achieve a nearly 80% reduction in air leakage. Known as the Ray Albert House by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, the 100-year-old home will also become part of the New River Home Trust, a program to provide permanent affordable homes in the area.
CHP Reads!, a reading program designed to help kids stay sharp over the summer months, not only returned for a fourth year in a row—it reached more children and teens than ever in 2022. The program provided participants in CHP communities throughout with books, snacks, and reading opportunities to help combat losses in academic learning over the summer months.
Youth in the summer program agreed. “My favorite thing about CHP Reads! was getting new books and reading with my granny and brother,” said one participant.
Another added, “The best book I read this year was Blended because I like the plot and the reality of Isabella’s situation and her strong character.”
Books Given
Over the course of the summer, 4,035 books were given out. Books were donated by community partners and brand-new books were purchased.
Youth Served
In total, over 391 youth were served through the program. Participants received books and snacks, at-home activities, and a reading challenge.
Staff and Community Members Volunteered
Sixty-five volunteers from CHP and the local communities supported the program by handing out books, building three little libraries, and helping with CHP Reads! events.
CHP Reads!Since 2019, CHP Reads! has provided reading opportunities for hundreds of youth.
The holidays can be a very difficult and lonely time for many older and/or special needs individuals who lack a support system or are isolated from their loved ones. CHP is proud to serve our most vulnerable residents by providing the Warm Wishes program. Warm wishes are gift bags filled with items wished for by each resident that are hand delivered to their door.
“I really enjoyed this program, especially because our entire department was able to work together on it and use our creativity to meet the desires and needs of our residents within the budget!” said Megan Lisle Peterson, an Administration Operations Manager at CHP and Warm Wishes volunteer. “It felt like a gameshow running around Walmart with our lists of the items to try and find. It’s a great way to help someone around the holidays and can be a fun team building project as well.”
Residents Participated
In total, 267 senior and/or special needs residents wrote down their top three wishes and volunteers purchased gifts and sweet treats.
Donations and Gifts Raised
Over $8,010 was raised to help fund the wishes. Each participant received a gift bag filled with around $30 worth of wishes.
Staff and Community Members Volunteered
Twenty-five volunteers from CHP and the local communities supported the program by adopting and shopping for residents and delivering gifts to their doors.
Warm WishesThe Warm Wishes program has a tremendous impact on seniors at CHP communities.
Dorothy Carter’s home in Elkton, Virginia faced multiple challenges that prevented it from being weatherized, but CHP Energy Solutions was able to address the urgent repairs and make Carter’s home ‘weatherization ready.’ With electrical, plumbing, and roofing improvements, Carter’s home now enjoys lower utility bills, enhanced safety, and improved comfort. Funding for this program enabled CHP and other weatherization providers to extend their services to numerous households previously unable to access these benefits.
When Lisa and Ron Suddarth’s heat pump stopped working in their Fairfax townhome, they lived without heating or cooling while facing health challenges. A flyer from Rebuilding Together caught Lisa’s attention, prompting her to seek assistance. Through the collective efforts of CHP Energy Solutions, Dominion Energy, Rebuilding Together, and Tran Energy Services, the Suddarths’ home became safer, more comfortable, and energy efficient, showcasing the power of community partnerships.
When we asked our employees what they do and why they do it, a common theme emerged: CHP employees come to work because they care about our mission and serving our residents and clients. Find out more about what brings our staff to work every day.
CHP is incredibly grateful for the invaluable contributions received from our amazing friends and supporters in the past year. With 731 volunteers dedicating 4,564 hours and partner resources surpassing $830,000, including volunteer hours and support from individuals and organizations, we extend our heartfelt thanks. Together, we have achieved remarkable progress towards our mission in 2022, and we couldn't have done it without you.
From our roots as a volunteer organization serving housing needs in Appalachia, CHP has grown into a multi-state organization nationally recognized for our capabilities and commitment to innovation and continuous improvement. Although CHP’s footprint has greatly expanded over the decades, our mission continues to focus on creating homes and communities that are healthy, sustainable, and affordable.