Executive Director and Founder of First Home Alliance, Larry Laws’ vision to enhance community self-sufficiency and quality of life through home ownership was rooted in his childhood experiences. He was born in 1962 in the small town of Camden, Arkansas to the late Willie Laws and Addie Gordon-Laws. 

His family never owned a house as he was growing up. He lived in rental property during his entire childhood — first in a two bedroom single-family dwelling and then in government-assisted public housing (“the projects”). His father, a sharecropper, was disabled in his early fifties and died when Larry was in the 10th grade.  His mother a domestic worker, finally at the age of 65, was able to purchase a residence in 1989 using the USDA 504 Program. She only lived there for eight years before her death in 1997.

Larry, a Disabled America Veteran, joined the United States Army just two days after his eighteenth birthday in September 1980. He intended to travel, attain a level of maturity, and secure the funds necessary to pursue a college education. Larry eventually received his Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Maryland University and his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Troy State University while on active duty. After twenty-four years of military service; he founded and established the non-profit organization First Home Alliance in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in 2002. For a man who tirelessly dedicated his entire adult life serving his country, chose to step out of uniform and lend a hand to the community.

Meet our Program Coordinator/Senior Housing Counselor...

 

 

Charlene is a HUD-certified Senior Housing Counselor who joined First Home Alliance in 2006.  She comes to the agency with over five years experience in the mortgage industry with a strong knowledge of FHA and conventional loan processing.  She completed her Housing and Foreclosure Intervention and Default Counseling Certifications with NeighborWorks America Center for Homeownership Education and Counseling Training Institute. She has more than 100 classroom hours of delivering Financial Literacy Training and Homeownership Education. Charlene is professionally credited with having saved over 200 families from losing their homes to foreclosure through Loss Mitigation and Foreclosure Intervention.  Charlene supervises and trains a team of counselors combating our present mortgage crisis serving low-to-moderate income communities.  Charlene also serves as our Housing Program Coordinator and is responsible for compliance and reporting to VHDA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

 

 

Meet Our Loss Mitigation Specialist / Housing Counselor...

 

 

Kaleta is a HUD-certified Loss Mitigation Counselor who joined First Home Alliance in 2008 after a successful career with the Navy Federal Credit Union. She completed her Foreclosure Intervention and Default Counseling Certifications with Neighbor Works America Center for Homeownership Education and Counseling Training Institute. She retired as Vice President of Projects and Business Integration from Navy Federal Settlement Services. During her tenure with Navy Federal, Kaleta chaired an advisory committee which reviewed minority mortgage loan applications to ensure that all fair credit practices had been met prior to a loans recommendation for disapproval to the Credit Committee. She also managed post settlement and quality assurance on all mortgage loan files. Kaleta currently provides foreclosure housing assistance to distressed members of Northern Virginia. She also serves on an executive panel that is seeking partnerships with local community organizations for our charitable agency.