About Saint Mary's

History

Saint Mary's Housing Corporation ("SMHC") and its related entities have almost 50 years' experience providing affordable housing for low- and moderate-income seniors throughout Northern Virginia. SMHC was organized in 1970 by Monsignor Joseph Wingler, former pastor of Saint Mary's Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia, as a non-profit tax-exempt 501(c)(4) corporation. In 1978, SMHC developed and constructed Evergreen House, a 246-unit HUD Section 8 community in Annandale, Virginia. The following year, an affiliate of SMHC opened newly constructed Marywood Apartments, a 129-unit HUD Section 202/Section 8 property in Manassas, Virginia. Both properties serve independent, low-income seniors, 62 years of age and older.

The success of Evergreen and Marywood led to development by other affiliates of three additional communities for low- and moderate-income seniors in the late 1990s, financed in part with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTCs):

• Madonna House at Belmont, 130 units in Fredericksburg, opened in 1998
• Wingler House I, 132 units in Ashburn, opened in 1999
• Wingler House II, 132 units adjacent to Wingler House I, opened in 2003

In total, SMHC and its affiliates have developed and currently operate all five of these communities totaling 769 units. In 2023, SMHC plans to form a new affiliate to develop new and/or acquire existing communities for low- and moderate-income seniors in Northern Virginia in the coming years.

Leadership

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

John D. Spencer, Executive Director
As Executive Director of Saint Mary's Housing Corporation ("SHMC"), Spencer leads the organization's development of new affordable housing projects and asset management of existing communities. Prior to joining SMHC in December 2021, Spencer served 28 years as Senior Vice President and CFO of Victory Housing, Inc. of Rockville, Maryland, the non-profit affordable housing development arm of the Archdiocese of Washington. During his tenure at Victory Housing, he facilitated the growth of that organization from three properties with 50 units to 32 properties with 2,352 units, and from $3 million to over $225 million in total assets. Specific roles included financing of new projects, leasing up and asset managing of apartment communities, coordinating public relations (web site, media, events, awards), and implementing changes to financial management systems to accommodate growth.

Spencer founded the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers ("HAND") in 1991, served as President through 2005 and board member until 2021. HAND is a Washington-area regional trade association of affordable housing developers, financial intermediaries, local government, and advocates. He was also a board member (1999 - 2009) and President (2008 - 2009) of the Maryland Affordable Housing Coalition. Awards include a Finalist in the Washington Business Journal Awards for Financial Excellence (2008), Lifetime Achievement from HAND (2006), and recognitions from the Maryland House of Delegates (2005) and the Virginia Housing Coalition (2002).

Spencer earned a MBA from the University of Maryland and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a CPA and Notary Public in Maryland.

jspencer@saintmaryshousing.org