Congratulations to the winners of the 2015 NMA Housing Awards!
Today at the third annual NMA and GoSection8 Housing Conference in Miami, Nan McKay and Associates announced the four winners of the 2015 NMA Housing Awards. We first launched these awards nearly a decade ago to recognize excellence and innovation in the affordable housing industry.
Since then, we’ve been honored to read and evaluate a great number of worthy entries, and this year was no exception. Read on to learn more about this year’s winning agencies.
2015 Excellence in Housing
Fort Wayne Housing Authority
The Fort Wayne Housing Authority offers a truly remarkable spread of achievements, including a robust partnership with the City of Fort Wayne to help the homeless, a resident resource center that promotes self-sufficiency, a financial literacy program, a newly constructed energy-efficient senior housing community built with mixed financing, a newly constructed permanent supportive housing complex for young adults aging out of foster care, and an urban gardening program that has been so successful, participants are able to sell excess produce at a local farmer's market.
2015 Excellence in Housing
(Honorable Mention)
Nevada Rural Housing Authority
Nevada Rural Housing Authority has long been a member of the Rural Nevada Continuum of Care (RNCoC), but in 2012, NRHA began chairing the organization and providing guidance to the state's small nonprofit and county social service agencies to improve assistance offered to the homeless. NRHA volunteered to lead the effort to create and implement centralized or coordinated intake centers, a complex task with no additional funding.
Through 2014, 11 centralized intake centers were created and the NRHA has become a clearinghouse of sorts for homeless rental assistance in rural Nevada.
2015 Pioneer in Housing
(Large Agency)
King County Housing Authority
King County Housing Authority has been working to address the lack of affordable housing and resulting homelessness in its community for decades. Recognized by HUD as a high-performing housing authority, KCHA was granted Moving to Work (MTW) status in 2003 to develop innovative responses to the region's housing crisis.
KCHA stepped up and took action by building strong community partnerships, aggressively pursuing all competitive voucher allocations, implementing flexible programs through MTW, and designing multiple supportive housing programs that have received local and national attention, including one of the nation's largest housing choice voucher programs for non-elderly persons with disabilities.
2015 Pioneer in Housing
(Small Agency)
Housing Authority of the City of Freeport
The Housing Authority of the City of Freeport has received local, state, regional, and national recognition for the innovative ways in which it encourages and supports residents in achieving self-sufficiency. HACF offers services and programming above and beyond basic housing, including educational, employment, and empowerment opportunities. Its workforce training has graduated over 100 participants, and 90 percent of its graduates have retained employment.
With this success, HACF added youth programs and additional hands-on training, transforming the local workforce and helping its students achieve self-confidence and personal development.
The #NMAHousingAwards is an annual event created to honor agencies that build bridges to the future and generate real change in their communities and the affordable housing industry.
