Kentucky Housing Corporation Honors Achievements in Housing Innovation
FRANKFORT, Ky. – (RealEstateRama) — Awards honoring excellence and innovation in affordable housing were presented at the 2016 Kentucky Affordable Housing Conference in Louisville, which was held October 18-19.
Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC), the conference host and state housing finance agency, sponsored the awards to honor innovative techniques and strategies used by our partners to meet the needs of Kentuckians.
“Kentucky Housing Corporation and our partners are committed to helping others achieve affordable housing so they have more opportunities to provide stability and success for their families.” said KHC’s Executive Director Kathryn Peters. “We are proud to recognize the programs, because innovative housing initiatives have lasting impacts for many Kentuckians who are in need of quality housing.”
On Wednesday, October 19, the Dorothy J. Williams Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Darrell Overstreet. This award is presented to an individual who has devoted much of their career to helping make the dream of affordable housing a reality in Kentucky. Overstreet began his career in the mortgage industry over 36 years ago and has been one of KHC’s top producing lenders for many years, in addition to promoting affordable housing in rural Kentucky. He has served on the board for the Manufactured Home Association, Mortgage Bankers of Kentucky, and the Housing Policy Advisory Committee. He’s spent his entire career devoted to what KHC’s mission is all about. He has been committed to helping others, especially in rural areas, to realize their dreams of owning their own home.
On Wednesday, October 19, the Mae Street Kidd Award was presented to Don Ball, recognizing his outstanding public service. The award is named after the Louisville state representative who sponsored the legislation creating Kentucky Housing Corporation in 1972. Ball has certainly strengthened Kentucky communities through his passion for civic and charitable endeavors. His experience in the homebuilding industry includes service in professional and trade organizations, including longstanding board membership on the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) Board of Cincinnati, along with the FHLB Advisory Council on Housing. Ball is a longtime member and past president of the Lexington Home Builders Association and was awarded Builder of the Year by the Homebuilders Association twice. Ball has served as chair of KHC’s Board of Directors and helped create and expand programs like Recovery Kentucky and Scholar House in communities across the state.
At Wednesday’s luncheon, agencies that have shown innovation in housing solutions were recognized. The goal of the KHC Innovative Solutions Annual Housing Awards is to: recognize outstanding efforts, identify best practices, and encourage replication of workable housing solutions.
Fahe received the Innovative Solutions: Affordable Housing Award. After a successful pilot program, Fahe created a nonprofit loan packaging system that significantly improved the delivery of direct mortgages for rural families across the nation, called the 502 Direct Program. They worked hard to overcome challenges and roadblocks, but never lost sight of the ultimate goal, increasing accessibility to affordable housing.
The Innovative Solutions: Energy Efficiency—Rural Award was presented to COAP Inc., which established a program to finance and complete weatherization retrofits for dozens of homes in Benham, called the Benham Saves Program. The program saves individuals and the whole community precious resources while creating local jobs, increasing comfort, and improving home values. Properties are brought back to productive use while respecting the environment, incorporating proven green building techniques, and energy efficiency strategies.
Receiving the Innovative Solutions: Energy Efficiency—Urban Award was Louisville Metro Housing Authority, which redeveloped a 70-year-old public housing property, requiring a decade to complete. It is a multi-phase project known as Sheppard Square. This revitalization required extensive collaboration between neighborhood residents, community stakeholders, public schools, and various other partners, to create or preserve 310 energy efficient housing units.
The Innovative Solutions: Homelessness Award was presented to The Coalition for the Homeless and Family Health Centers for their creation of a single point of entry for homeless shelters that allows clients to make a reservation versus waiting in line in all types of weather in order to secure a bed that night. This system was later expanded to create the first third-party common assessment team in the nation. The Louisville Single Point of Entry and Common Assessment works together to provide safety to those seeking homeless services. They believe the best change is a system change and that new system is making their efforts successful.
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Housing Authority received the Innovative Solutions: Housing Preservation Award for recreating an aging community. After three decades, a 206 unit family public housing development was in dire need of rehabilitation. With the possibility of demolition, this project was thought to be the place of last resort for families with no other options. With tremendous leadership, planning, and the engagement of multiple stakeholders, Centre Meadows is now a thriving community.
