Seneca Heights Apartments Receives the
NAHRO Award of Merit in Housing and Community Development
Sharan London, MCCH Executive Director, and Stephanie Killian, with Department of Housing
and Community Affairs, accept the the NAHRO Award of Merit.
The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials awarded Seneca Heights Apartments the NAHRO Award of Merit in Housing and Community Development, which gives national recognition to innovative housing and community development projects, programs, and services provided by NAHRO agency members throughout the country. Seneca Heights Apartments has also been entered in the National Awards of Excellence competition, which recognizes outstanding innovation and achievement in housing and community development programs throughout the country.
Seneca Heights Apartments' Tenant Council Receives
HAND Housing Achievement Award
Alice Forcier, MCCH Director of Housing Solutions, and a Seneca Heights Apartments'
resident accept the HAND award for Best Community Life Program in Maryland.
The Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND) awarded the Seneca Heights Apartments' Tenant Council for their genuine efforts in making their community a brighter and better place to live. T he Council gives residents the means to share ideas and concerns to the larger SHA community. Together, the Council and staff have created opportunities for education and entertainment that otherwise would not exist, including weekly movie/game nights, a monthly dinner/gift card raffle, holiday parties, and barbeques. The Council also publishes a newsletter and an activities calendar and formed a welcome committee to help new residents better transition from homelessness. As advocates for the Seneca Heights community, the Council directly addresses the needs of those around them, and incorporates their neighbors’ ideas in improving their community. We congratulate them on a job well done!
Seneca Heights Apartments Receives the
NACCED
Award of Excellence
The National Association for County
Community and Economic Development Award of Excellence recognizes
SHA for its "innovative, effective and exemplary work"
on homeless coordination and assistance.
NACo Award
The National Association of Counties (NACo)
presented the 2005 Achievement Award to Seneca Heights Apartments
in July 2005. This award recognizes the program as an exceptional,
innovative special needs housing development.
NALHFA HOME Award
In April 2005, the National Association of Local
Housing Finance Agencies (NALHFA) honored Seneca Heights Apartments
(SHA) with the Meritorious Achievement and HOME Award. With
this award, NALHFA recognized SHA as being: innovative, affordable,
serving the needs of special groups, an extraordinary benefit
to the community and a successful model which other agencies
and communities can replicate.
MCCH Receives Community Action Award
MCCH representative, Kelley
O'Dell, accepts the "Community Action Award"
from Terry Seamans, Chair of the Community Action Board.
MCCH received a “Community Action Award”
in honor of Henry L. Dixon for Outstanding Community Service from
the Community Action Board. MCCH was honored for its “expertise,
dedication and most importantly, [its] ability to collaborate
with other entities.
Governor's Housing Award
At the Governor’s Housing Conference in
November 2004, Seneca Heights Apartments (SHA) was awarded a
“Commitment to Excellence Special Needs Housing Award”
by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.
This award recognizes SHA as an effective partnership between
different entities, being responsive to community needs, using
innovative and successful financing techniques, and demonstrating
a measurable benefit to its tenants and community.
Seneca Heights Apartments
Receives the
HOME Doorknocker Award
MCCH Executive Director Sharan London at the HOME Doorknocker Award ceremony.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development
recognized Seneca Heights Apartments with the first national
HOME Doorknocker Award for its outstanding work in providing affordable
housing to low-income and underserved people. One of twenty award
recipients, Seneca Heights was recognized as a model for developing
innovative housing solutions to meet the specific needs of its community.
Seneca Heights Apartments is the result of a unique partnership
between the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless, Montgomery
County, the City of Gaithersburg, and the Housing Opportunities
Commission. This broad partnership provides Seneca Heights Apartments
with a wide range of financial resources resulting in a financial
package consisting of federal, state and local government resources,
as well as private donations that allows the program to serve low-income
families and individuals; a difficult feat in one of the country’s
most expensive housing markets.
The program opened in May 2004 and has already achieved tangible
success. Seneca Heights Apartments transformed two motel buildings
into a vibrant residential community that provides safe and secure
housing. 67% of the residents have obtained employment, while 28%
are continuing their education. Residents are engaging in a variety
of constructive activities including: participation in a resident
association, registering to vote, and organizing a childcare cooperative.
Click
here to read the HUD press release.
|
