[Durham INC] Durham Project for Homeless Vets Honored with National Award

[PublicAffairs]

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CITY OF DURHAM
Office of Public Affairs
101 City Hall Plaza
Durham, NC 27701

News Release


News Media Contact:
Amy Blalock
Sr. Public Affairs Specialist
(919) 560-4123 x 11253
(919) 475-7735 (cell)
Amy.Blalock at DurhamNC.gov<mailto:Amy.Blalock at DurhamNC.gov>
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For Immediate Release: January 26, 2016




Share!  #Durham partnership wins national award for helping disabled homeless veterans into housing http://bit.ly/1PhU0x3


Durham Project for Homeless Vets Honored with National Award
Award Recognizes Partnership Project as Model for Supportive Housing

DURHAM, N.C. - For the second time in two years, Durham has been recognized by the National Community Development Association<http://www.ncdaonline.org/> (NCDA) with a 2016 Audrey Nelson award<http://www.ncdaonline.org/documents/AudreyNelsonapplication2016.pdf>, this time for its partnership to help homeless veterans.

This year's award highlights the Denson Apartments for Veterans<http://www.casanc.org/denson-apartments-phase-1-durham/>, the first permanent supportive housing in Durham for veterans who are homeless and have disabilities. Located at 1598 Sedgefield Street, the first phase included 11 apartments with rent set at 30 percent of the tenant's income and includes all utilities. Phase II is currently under construction and will add another 12 apartments to the overall project. Eligible veterans are provided with Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) rental assistance vouchers<http://www.va.gov/homeless/hud-vash.asp> through the U.S. Veterans Administration.

The project was developed by CASA<http://www.casanc.org/> in partnership with the City of Durham Community Development Department<http://durhamnc.gov/445/Community-Development>, The Home Depot Foundation<http://www.homedepotfoundation.org/>, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development<http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD> and the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA)<http://www.nchfa.com/>, with construction financing from the State Employees Credit Union<https://www.ncsecu.org/>. CASA, a non-profit affordable housing developer and property manager based in the Triangle, also recently won the NCHFA's 2015 Housing North Carolina Award<http://www.nchousingconference.com/> for excellence in design for Phase I of this project.

Representatives of the City's Community Development Department accepted the award on Friday, January 22 and presented an overview of the project during the NCDA's Winter Legislative and Policy Meeting<http://www.ncdaonline.org/>. The presentation also included how the project is helping Durham meet the Mayor's Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness<http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/comm_planning/veteran_information/mayors_challenge/> issued by the Obama Administration in June 2014. Mayor William V. "Bill" Bell<http://durhamnc.gov/1315/Office-of-the-Mayor> was among hundreds of mayors who signed the Challenge, with the ambitious goal requiring system-level coordination of housing and service resources from all sectors of a community.

"The Denson Apartments represent one element of the commitment we made when the City of Durham began the Mayor's Challenge to End Veteran's Homelessness by the end of 2015," Bell said. "Thanks to our partners in CASA, the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, the Home Depot Foundation, and the staff of the Community Development Department for making this project a reality."

For more information about Durham's collaborative efforts to end chronic homelessness for veterans, contact Project Manager Matthew Schnars<mailto:Matthew.Schnars at Durhamnc.gov> with the City's Community Development Department at (919) 560-4570, ext. 22249.


About the City of Durham Community Development Department
The City of Durham Community Development Department<http://durhamnc.gov/445/Community-Development> is responsible for coordinating the City's housing resources and various housing assistance programs as well as promoting affordable housing by working with investors and community housing development organizations. The department also administers the City's entitlement programs from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. Guided by the City's Strategic Plan<http://durhamnc.gov/183/Strategic-Plan>, the department helps to ensure that the City has thriving, livable neighborhoods by enhancing housing quality and affordability for Durham residents.

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