EUGENE, OR (October 28, 2011) — The Housing And Community Services Agency of Lane County (HACSA) has been chosen as a winner of the prestigious National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) Awards for Roosevelt Crossing, a 72-bed transitional housing development specifically designed for returning ex-offenders run by Sponsors Inc.. HACSA is the only agency in Oregon to receive a NAHRO national award.
“There is a growing recognition for the need for re-entry and transition programs to assist formerly incarcerated persons to become community assets rather than public liabilities,” said NAHRO President Akinola Popoola. “Roosevelt Crossing provides a welcoming and uplifting environment for residents that promotes positive energy, resource efficiency and where they can receive services to help them integrate back into the community.”
HACSA partnered with Sponsors Inc., a local non-profit that had created a unique and successful model for returning ex-offenders to the community. The service program includes short- and long-term shelter, food, clothing, transportation, health care and counseling. Sponsors is based on the belief that people can and do change, and that a strategic intervention at the appropriate moment can serve as a catalyst in that change. Nearly 70% of program participants leave the Sponsors Inc. program fully employed, in full compliance with release requirements and with affordable and sustainable housing.
The Awards of Excellence are nominated from among the Award of Merit winners each year. They are chosen by national juries and presented at the annual National Conference and Exhibition, which was in St. Louis, MO from October 23rd through October 25th. They represent the very best in innovative programs in affordable housing and community development.
The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, established in 1933, is a membership organization of over 23,000 housing and community development agencies and professionals throughout the United States whose mission is to create affordable housing and safe, viable communities that enhance the quality of life for all Americans, especially those of low- and moderate-income. NAHRO’s membership administers more than 3 million housing units for 7.6 million people.
As the second largest public housing authority in Oregon, HACSA owns about 1500 units of affordable housing and administers the Section 8 housing choice voucher program, which provides housing for about 2,700 low-income families in Lane County. HACSA also manages a variety of community services programs, including a weatherization program that annually serves about 350 Lane County low-income home owners and renters. HACSA’s mission is making a difference in the quality of affordable housing and related community services.
