Last week at our fifth annual national housing conference in Boston, Nan McKay and Associates announced the winners of the 2017 NMA Housing Awards. We first launched these awards 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.
2017 Development Award
Large Agency
Valencia Grove
Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino
Built in 1942, Valencia Grove wasthe first public housing site built in the County of San Bernardino. The original 115 public housing unit site was long overdue for a major revitalization. In 2013, the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino (HACSB) and its’ affiliate non‐profit developer, Housing Partners I, Inc. began the revitalization of its first public housing site in Redlands. The revitalization of this public housing site consists of a three pronged innovative approach: 1) demolition through a deconstruction/construction program; 2) use of factory‐built modular units; and 3) transitioned away from a traditional public housing site to a mixed‐used community (eventually to include homeownership), with a multi‐use educational and recreational facility.
2017 Development Award
Small Agency
Richards Crossing
Nevada Rural Housing Authority
NRHA has been instrumental in the development of the supportive housing project, Richards Crossing in Carson City. This innovative and unique new construction project is highly needed in the area and the first of its kind in northern Nevada. Richards Crossing includes 38 affordable housing units developed specifically for the homeless and extremely low-income individuals. Eight units will be reserved for chronically homeless veterans who receive rental assistance from the U.S. Veterans Administration (VA), while the other 30 units will receive Section 8 project-based rental assistance.
2017 Development Award
Honorable Mention
Legacy Commons
Fresno
Legacy Commons is a brand new innovative multi-family housing community in southwest Fresno. Designed to provide high-quality, affordable housing with modern amenities and on site services, the Mediterranean style apartment homes consists of one, two, three, and four bedroom apartment homes for a total of 128 units. Legacy Commons offers several impactful amenities including a community multi-purpose room with a kitchen, on site recording studio, fitness center, play structures and a swimming pool.
2017 Resident Service Award
Large Agency
Food Business Pathways
New York City Housing Authority
In 2014, NYCHA, NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), and NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) with support from Citi Community Development and nonprofits Hot Bread Kitchen and Start Small Think Big collaborated in an unprecedented way to develop a full-scale business career accelerator called Food Business Pathways (FBP). Food Business Pathways is part of Doorways to Opportunity, a $1.4 million investment from Citi Community Development to expand access to economic opportunities through a network of community services.
2017 Resident Service Award
Large Agency
M.O.V.E.
Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority
The Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) developed the M.O.V.E. Program in November of 2015. M.O.V.E. stands for Motivate, Opportunity, Vision and Empowerment and focuses on providing employment, job training, educational opportunities and support services to the Asset Management residents, Housing Choice Voucher participants, and Section 3 residents. That effort increases their chances of becoming economically self-sufficient.
2017 Resident Service Award
Small Agency
Summer BreakSpot Mobile Program
Broward County Housing Authority
Broward County Housing Authority (BCHA) partnered with community agencies in an innovative program called Summer BreakSpot Mobile Program (SBSP) of Broward County to provide nutritious lunches and snacks to local children/young adults ages 0-18. The program operates in summer months from June through August, and combines healthy food choices with nutrition education, cooking demonstrations, a literacy program, physical fitness, personal enrichment workshops, and other fun activities. At its inception the program started with 7 feeding sites and as of summer 2016 it has grown to host 75 locations, which includes over 60 community partners.
The NMA Housing Awards 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. Entries for the 2018 awards will open this spring.
