National Sponsors of NAHMA’s 2016 Communities of Quality® Awards Program
Sponsored by HD Supply Multifamily Solutions and Navigate Affordable Housing Partners.
Four Developments Receive NAHMA Communities of Quality Top Honors
The National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) announces four communities were selected as the 2016 winners of its annual Communities of Quality (COQ) Awards program. Since 1992, these awards have honored the best multifamily affordable housing communities across the country.
Entrants are judged on how they manage the physical, financial, and social conditions of their properties, and on how well they convey their success in offering the highest quality of life for their residents.
The 2016 COQ Awards were presented at NAHMA’s annual winter meeting, March 5-7, in Washington, D.C.
“This year, we had 30 entrants proving that the Communities of Quality Awards program continues to thrive and to be a point of pride for all the contenders. There is no other award that focuses so comprehensively on the everyday life and management expertise of affordable housing properties,” NAHMA Executive Director Kris Cook, CAE, said.
NAHMA congratulates the winners:
- Exemplary Family Development: Forest Green Apartments, Gainesville, Fla.; Owner: GHC Housing Partners; Management: PK Management LLC; AHMA: SAHMA
- Exemplary Development for the Elderly: Broadway Terrace Apartments, Phoenix, Ariz.; Owner: Broadway Towers Inc. DBA Broadway Terrace; Management Company: Mansermar Inc.; AHMA: AHMA-PSW
- Exemplary Development for Residents with Special Needs: Bridgeway Apartments Phase 1 & 2, Picayune, Miss.; Owner: St. Francis Academy; Management Company: The Columbia Property Group; AHMA: SAHMA
- Outstanding Turnaround of a Troubled Property: EME Apartments of Conway, Conway, S.C.; Owner: Emanuel-Morris Brown-Ebenezer Apartments Inc.; Management Company: Southern Development Management Company; AHMA: SAHMA
About the Sponsors
About HD Supply Multifamily Solutions: With 50,000-plus items and free, next-day delivery on most items to most areas, HD Supply Multifamily Solutions is your source for maintenance supplies, fabrication, installation, and renovation services. Over 700 account representatives serve more than 130 markets, providing personalized service backed by the strength of a national company. To order, call 1-800-431-3000 or visit hdsupplysolutions.com.
About Navigate Affordable Housing Partners: Based in Birmingham, Ala., Navigate Affordable Housing Partners is HUD’s Section 8 PBCA for Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, and Connecticut. With a strong reputation for customer service and training, Navigate oversees a portfolio of more than 70,000 units and has a history of developing, owning, and managing HUD-assisted properties in Alabama. For further information, visit navigatehousing.com.
Forest Green Apartments
Exemplary Family Development | Gainesville, Fla.
Forest Green is a 200-unit Section 8 family property in Gainesville, Florida, home to more than 400 residents including adults, children, seniors, and residents with disabilities. On-site programs address career path barriers, budget challenges, neglected health, nutritional deficiencies, parenting, crime, and educational setbacks through computer labs, after-school tutoring, adult self-sufficiency classes, and health programming.
Three community resource officers from the local police department are permanently assigned to Forest Green, coordinating Safety Week programs and National Night Out events. A partnership with Upper Room Ministries and the University of Florida provides after-school math and reading mentoring. A unique on-site Security Center with a state-of-the-art camera and monitoring system has proven an effective crime deterrent. The maintenance team operates around the clock with both preventative and reactive plans in place.
Broadway Terrace Apartments
Exemplary Development for the Elderly | Phoenix, Ariz.
Broadway Terrace is a 100-unit HUD-assisted apartment complex in Phoenix designed for adults 62 and older. The community has earned the Gregory Foundation’s Leadership and Innovation Award for its efforts to promote healthy living. Partnerships with local organizations provide food delivery, free personal hygiene products, technology education, and health and wellness services. A magnification machine from the Duet Agency helps residents with vision difficulties access printed materials.
A JobCorps internship program brings students on site to assist residents one-on-one with technology including laptops, smartphones, and tablets, while students shadow leasing office staff in return. Arizona State University’s foster grandparents program engages residents in reading to at-risk children at surrounding schools. The community also celebrated a milestone when its first centenarian, Clara Bloom, received a Governor’s Certificate at the 2015 Senior Awards luncheon.
Bridgeway Apartments Phase 1 and 2
Exemplary Development for Residents with Special Needs | Picayune, Miss.
Bridgeway Apartments provides supervised living and employment services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across two low-rise, garden-style phases totaling 24 fully equipped units in Picayune, Mississippi. The property maintains REAC scores of 90% or above, fully funded replacement reserves, and 100% monthly rent collection. Staff assist residents with medication management, job discovery, exercise and wellness, and community volunteering.
All residents except one retiree hold jobs performing janitorial services at local businesses ranging from pizza parlors and bakeries to the fire department and chamber of commerce, with most retaining the same positions for several years. Staff provide transportation and on-site job support as needed. When not working, residents enjoy bowling, swimming, dancing, minor league baseball games, and Special Olympics participation.
EME Apartments of Conway
Outstanding Turnaround of a Troubled Property | Conway, S.C.
EME Apartments of Conway, formerly Cherry Hill Apartments, is a 50-unit nonprofit Section 8 property originally built in 1969. By the mid-2000s it had landed on HUD’s troubled watch list with REAC scores twice below 60, less than 50% occupancy, and was being considered for foreclosure. In early 2007, a joint law enforcement operation resulted in 82 arrests at or near the property, which had become overrun with drugs, gang violence, and loitering.
Later that year, the board of Emanuel-Morris Brown-Ebenezer Apartments Inc. purchased the property and launched a total rehabilitation funded through private sources, replacing the roof and windows, installing vinyl siding, mounting security cameras, and fully renovating all unit interiors including new HVAC systems, flooring, and fixtures. In 2010, the City of Conway recognized the transformation with the C.P. Quattlebaum Design Award. The on-site Neighborhood Network Center now offers after-school programs, computer training, summer camp, music lessons, a bookmobile, health fairs, and adult work study. In 2015, EME Apartments was named Best Housing Development by the South Carolina State Housing Finance Authority.