Organizations receive Excellence in Affordable Housing Awards
MHDC
Chairman and State Treasurer Sarah Steelman presented five
Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Affordable Housing Sept. 29
during the Governor’s Conference on Housing awards luncheon held
in Springfield, Mo.
“The
recipients of the Governor’s Awards were selected for their
tireless dedication to furthering the cause of affordable
housing for the people of Missouri,” said Steelman.
Award
recipients included:
·
Rental Housing
Production (Non-Profit Sector): Green Hills Community Action
Agency, Trenton, Mo.
·
Rental Housing
Production (Private Sector): DLS Historic Developer, Kansas
City, Mo.
·
Property
Management Firm of the Year: Bell Management, Inc., Joplin, Mo.
·
Trust Fund
Agency of the Year: Benilde Hall, Kansas City, Mo.
·
Lender of the
Year: First Community Bank, Warrensburg, Mo.
This
marks the first year the Governor’s Awards for Excellence in
Affordable Housing were awarded by category.
Rental Housing Production (Non-Profit): Green Hills Community
Action Agency
Green
Hills Community Action Agency has been serving a nine-county
area in northern Missouri for more than 40 years. Their vision
is simple: “Empowering people to help themselves and each
other”.
Green
Hills has built more than 50 single-family homes in 10 different
communities. They have also developed and manage 86 affordable
apartments for working families and the elderly.
“Not
only does Green Hills strive to meet the housing needs of their
communities, but they offer a significant number of additional
social services that advance their goal of community
empowerment,” said Treasurer Steelman. “Whether it is
providing affordable housing, operating a domestic violence
shelter, offering job training, home repairs, or some other type
of assistance, Green Hills is always there to help.”
Rental Housing Production (Private Sector): DLS Historic
Developer, Kansas City
Fifteen
years ago DLS Historic Developer was one of the early pioneers
involved in the revitalization of downtown Kansas City. DLS
Historic Developer has demonstrated a true passion for historic
redevelopment while providing high quality affordable rental
housing in the heart of Kansas City.
Dale
Schulte and Roger Buford began working in close partnership with
the city of Kansas City at a time when the vision of a thriving
downtown area after 5 p.m. was not a widely shared concept. DLS
successfully developed 15 properties with 474 apartments in
downtown Kansas City.
“Today,
its developments, such as Old Town Lofts, represent a major
share of the affordable housing opportunities available in the
now dynamic River Market area,” said Steelman, in presenting the
award.
Other
DLS housing developments such as the Finance Building, Waltower
and Hanover Lofts are an integral part of the retail, commercial
and entertainment renaissance that is well underway in downtown
Kansas City. DLS is currently in the process of converting the
historic Graphic Arts Building at 10th and Wyandotte Streets
into 58 affordable units to be known as the Graphic Arts Lofts.
Property Management Firm of the Year: Bell Management, Inc.,
Joplin, Mo.
The
nominees in the Property Management category were evaluated on
managing their portfolio of affordable housing developments in
Missouri.
“As
anyone who has ever worked in the affordable housing field can
tell you this is very difficult and under-appreciated work,”
said Steelman. “However, Bell Management stands apart from the
rest.”
Bell
Management currently manages more than 500 multifamily units in
rural Missouri and employs a team of professionals that “take
great pride and satisfaction in knowing they provide a quality
living environment to all of their residents.” Their managers
consistently maintain superior occupancy rates while keeping
operating and maintenance costs at one of the lowest levels in
the nation.
Trust
Fund Agency of the Year: Benilde Hall, Kansas City, Mo.
The Missouri Housing Trust
Fund provides funding for many non-profit and private
organizations that help very low income families and the
homeless with their housing needs. There are many worthy
organizations and individuals working in this field for little
or no pay or recognition.
Benilde
Hall promotes balanced and responsible independent living in the
community by preventing the relapse of chemically dependent
homeless persons through transitional housing and substance
abuse treatment.
This
year saw the completion of a dream envisioned by its founder,
Linus Benoit, to provide 12 units of permanent housing and
supportive services for persons recovering from alcohol and drug
dependencies. The Benilde Hall staff worked to leverage
private, local, state and federal funds for this initiative.
Benoit passed away in July 2006 and Jack Gravely accepted the
award for Benilde Hall in a tearful tribute to the founder.
Lender of the Year: First Community Bank, Warrensburg, Mo.
First
Community Bank has
participated in MHDC’s First Place Loan Program since 1996.
Since that time First Community Bank has consistently received
high marks for the quality of their loans and the assistance
they provide first-time homebuyers who are in need of help. The
dedicated and professional staff at First Community Bank is
always available to help families navigate the sometimes
difficult path to homeownership.
“Every
year MHDC is able to say it helps over 2,500 families purchase
their first home in Missouri,” said Steelman. “In reality, MHDC
could not help a single family purchase a home without the
active partnership of many housing professionals in the mortgage
banking industry throughout the state.”
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