August 28, 2018
CDC/HACoLA’s Efforts to Improve the Lives of County Residents and Revitalize Local Communities Puts the Agency Center Stage
The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) recently honored the Community Development Commission/Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles (CDC/HACoLA) with three 2018 Awards of Merit. The winning projects included:
- Promoting Healthy Communities for Seniors, a program offered in partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health designed to help seniors lead healthy lifestyles to better age in place;
- South County Homeless Initiative Program, which gives preference to homeless families when a public housing unit becomes available in the CDC/HACoLA’s South Scattered Sites development; and
- Rowland Heights Community Center, opened in June 2015, following extensive community involvement, the 19,000 square-foot Center was designed to house multi-purpose rooms, exercise rooms, activity and meeting rooms, offices, new tennis courts, a new basketball court, onsite parking, and other related on and offsite facilities. The Center achieved a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver rating for its extensive energy efficiency efforts making the Center an environmentally responsible addition to the community.
Of the three entries, the Promoting Healthy Communities for Seniors Program was selected to compete for NAHRO’s Awards of Excellence, and ultimately brought home a win to Los Angeles County. The Program will be honored, along with other Award of Excellence winners, at NAHRO’s National Conference and Exhibition in Atlanta, GA on October 25-27, 2018.
“These agencies have put a lot of thought, creativity, and hard work into helping residents improve their lives and into revitalizing their local communities,” said NAHRO President Carl S. Richie, Jr., “I am proud to celebrate their achievements.”
The NAHRO Awards of Merit Program was created 19 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.
“Our industry is continuously innovating to address changing local needs and to create new opportunities in their communities,” said NAHRO Chief Executive Officer Adrianne Todman, “Congratulations to this year’s top innovators!”