NAHRO Honors Local Agencies for Innovative Solutions
(Washington, D.C. – October 3, 2019) – The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) recently awarded 24 prestigious 2019 Awards of Excellence to 20 housing and community development organizations for creating innovative programs that stimulate positive change in their community.
“I’m so proud of the hard work and creativity of these agencies,” said NAHRO President Carl S. Richie, Jr. “They are developing innovative solutions to provide vital affordable housing in their neighborhoods and to strengthen their communities.”
The 24 award-winning programs were selected by regional juries from a pool of 207 Awards of Merit recipients. The winning programs must improve resident outcomes, resolve problems, and be replicable by organizations of similar size. They must also produce tangible results such as cost savings, enhanced productivity, improved client services, and better service coordination.
“These leaders have found creative and efficient ways to solve problems, meet their communities’ needs and provide access to opportunities,” said NAHRO CEO Adrianne Todman. “Congratulations to this year’s innovators!”
Contact: Sylvia Gimenez
Email: sgimenez@nahro.org
Organization | Category | Program Title |
Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority | Project Design | West Union Square |
City of Wichita Housing Authority | Resident and Client Services | sayYes!/CHAMPS Youth Development Program |
Cook Inlet Housing Authority | Affordable Housing | Woven House and Creekview Plaza II (AVS56) |
East Greenwich Housing Authority | Administrative Innovation | Do More With AmeriCorps |
Everett Housing Authority | Administrative Innovation | Online Section 8 Annual Recertifications |
Housing Authority City of Yuma | Resident and Client Services | SHINE Mentor Program |
Housing Authority of Salt Lake City | Project Design | 9th E. Lofts at Bennion Plaza |
Housing Authority of Salt Lake City | Resident and Client Services | Framing Program-Persons Experiencing Homelessness |
Housing Authority of the City of Aurora | Project Design | Village at Westerly Creek 3 |
Housing Authority of the City of New Britain | Resident and Client Services | NBHA Parenting Club Paint Night |
Housing Catalyst | Community Revitalization | Village on Shields Major Rehabilitation |
Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County | Affordable Housing | The Lindley |
Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County | Project Design | The Lindley |
Houston Housing Authority | Community Revitalization | “See Something, Say Something” Safety Program |
King County Housing Authority | Administrative Innovation | Rent Increase Request Process Improvement |
Los Angeles County Development Authority | Project Design | Liberty Community Plaza |
Metro West Housing Solutions | Affordable Housing | Fifty Eight Hundred |
Metro West Housing Solutions | Community Revitalization | Fifty Eight Hundred |
National CORE | Community Revitalization | Olive Meadow |
New Hope Housing Inc. | Affordable Housing | New Hope Housing Harrisburg |
Public Housing Agency of the City of Saint Paul | Administrative Innovation | Community Solar Gardens, Sustainable Energy Use |
San Antonio Housing Authority | Project Design | Wheatley Park Senior Living |
About the Awards
The 2019 NAHRO Awards of Excellence winners who are recognized for outstanding achievement in housing and community development programs in five categories: Administrative Innovation recognizes innovative methods in areas such as maintenance, community relations, and interagency cooperation. Program Innovation — Affordable Housing includes special programs for homeownership, public/private partnerships, and innovative financing. Program Innovation — Community Revitalization includes innovative use of programs in areas such as economic development, neighborhood preservation, and creative financing. Program Innovation — Resident and Client Services includes innovative use of programs such as special activities for children, families, and the elderly, anti-drug programs, social services, and self-sufficiency. Project Design includes efforts such as new housing design, housing modernization, enduring design, and landscape design.
The NAHRO Agency Awards program was created 20 years ago to recognize agencies who found innovative ways of making a difference in their communities and in the lives of the people they serve by creating affordable housing, revitalizing their neighborhoods, and developing initiatives such as job readiness programs, public-private partnerships, disaster prevention projects, and more. The selected programs were innovative in their approach to creating and utilizing creative systems to implement essential housing and community development programs. These programs can be replicated by other agencies to resolve industry-wide problems.
About NAHRO
NAHRO, established in 1933, is a membership organization of nearly 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.
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