Celebrate Housing America Month with Us!
For more than 10 years, October has been Housing America Month – a time when NAHRO and its members work to collectively raise awareness of the vital need for safe, decent, and affordable housing in sustainable communities. Throughout the month, we invite you to discover and celebrate the successes of the housers and community builders in your neighborhoods, and to speak up about the importance of ensuring that everyone has a home.
Affordable Housing Success Stories
During Housing America Month, watch our Twitter account at @nahronational and the #HousingAmerica hashtag for coverage of the latest ribbon-cuttings, community celebrations, beautification drives, volunteer projects, and more. If you’re interested in Housing America events from previous years, check them out at our Housing America Month webpage.
The “What Home Means to Me” Calendar Contest
October also marks the final stretch of our “What Home Means to Me” poster calendar contest. Now in its 11th year, this competition recognizes the amazing, eloquent art of children who live in affordable housing across the country. Each piece of art visually shares the child’s thoughts on what their home means to them.
Over the past several months, hundreds of children, ages 5-18, have submitted beautiful posters to local competitions held by public housing authorities all across the United States. These works of art moved through local, state, and regional competitions, and were winnowed down to 24 regional finalists. At the final contest, which was recently concluded in Washington, D.C., a panel of judges chose 13 winners, which will all be featured in NAHRO’s 2019 “What Home Means to Me” calendar.
As the month progresses, we’ll showcase each of the winning artworks on our Twitter account at @nahronational. The grand prize winner’s poster, which will grace the cover of our 2019 calendar, will be revealed on October 25 at Innovate 2018: IMPLEMENT, NAHRO’s National Conference and Exhibition in Atlanta, Ga. We hope you’ll check out all the winning works of art. Viewing the work of so many talented young artists is always a pleasure, and their heartfelt messages about their homes underscore the importance of the work that housers and community builders do.
Want to learn more about or participate in Housing America Month? Email Ashanti Wright at awright@nahro.org.
About Housing America
Housing America is a public awareness campaign that raises national awareness of the need for and importance of safe, quality, affordable housing through education, advocacy, and empowerment. Now celebrating its 11th year, the campaign’s activities include the annual “What Home Means to Me” poster calendar contest and Housing America Month, which is celebrated each October.
About NAHRO
NAHRO, established in 1933, is a membership organization of almost 20,000 housing and community development agencies and professionals throughout the United States whose mission is to create affordable housing and safe, viable communities that enhance the quality of life for all Americans, especially those of low- and moderate-income. NAHRO’s membership administers more than 3 million housing units for 7.6 million people.