2007 Winners

NAHMA Announces 2007 National Communities of Quality Award Winners

For 15th Year, NAHMA Lauds Highest-Quality Multifamily Affordable Housing

Alexandria, Va. – The National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) is recognizing five property owners and/or managers as winners of its 2007 Communities of Quality® Awards. The awards acknowledge excellence in the physical, financial and social condition of federally subsidized properties. Property owners and managers compete also on the basis of the quality of life they offer to residents; the level of resident involvement in community life; and the nature of collaborations with other organizations and agencies that contribute to the betterment of the lives of residents and the larger community.

“Achieving the status of being a Community of Quality® Award winner is very significant in our industry,” said Kris Cook, executive director of NAHMA, which represents affordable housing owners and managers nationwide. “Every year the competition gets hotter.”

The awards are co-sponsored by The Home Depot Supply™, a leading supplier of maintenance and renovation products to the multihousing industry.

This year’s winners were chosen from among 46 properties that qualified for the competition after achieving National Recognition from NAHMA as a Community of Quality®. This means that they exceeded by 100 points the challenging criteria properties must meet to achieve National Recognition.

Winners of the 15th annual COQ Awards competition are:

  • Exemplary Family Development: Oxford Properties, Inc., for Valley Garden Apartments, Huntsville, AL
  • Outstanding Special Needs Property: McClain Barr & Associates, for St. John Housing, Washington, NC
  • Exemplary Development for the Elderly: AIMCO, for University Square, Philadelphia, PA
  • Outstanding Turnaround of a Troubled Property (tie): BCJ Management for Southwood Square, Stamford, CT and Southern Development Management Company, for Mt. Zion AME Apartments I and II, Florence, SC

“Affordable housing done right is a tremendous asset to a community, especially because it gives pride of place to families and individuals who deserve – but may not always have access to – safe, decent and satisfying housing and communities,” said NAHMA President Michelle Norris, SHCM, NAHP-e. “Companies that apply for National Recognition and then qualify for the COQ awards program are emblematic of why affordable housing deserves to receive continued federal and other support. They fulfill a growing need for housing for the working poor, the elderly, special needs populations and others.”

Mike Hendel, Director of Multifamily Business Development, The Home Depot Supply, said his company is proud to once again be involved in an awards program that recognizes the importance of property maintenance. “If affordable housing is to remain attractive and safe, both the exteriors and the interiors need to be maintained with vigilance,” he said. “NAHMA’s Communities of Quality® Awards program acknowledges affordable housing providers who continue to raise the bar in defining high-quality management and upkeep.”

The COQ awards will be presented at NAHMA’s annual winter meeting, March 8-11, 2008, in Washington, D.C.

NAHMA is the leading voice for affordable housing, advocating on behalf of multifamily property mangers and owners whose mission is to provide quality affordable housing. NAHMA holds a unique position in the industry as an advocate for professional standards. It supports legislative and regulatory policy that promotes the development and preservation of decent and safe affordable housing. It also is a vital resource for technical education and information and fosters strategic relations between government and industry. Founded in 1990, NAHMA’s membership today includes the industry’s most distinguished multifamily owners and management companies.

For more information on the Communities of Quality® Award winners, visit www.nahma.org.