Today NHC announced that Builders of Hope, Inc. (BOH) was selected to receive the 2009 NHC “Pioneering Housing Strategies” Award for its work in helping to close an expanding gap between the availability and the need for safe, affordable and environmentally-friendly urban housing solutions in the Raleigh, NC area. Specifically, BOH was selected for its uniquely comprehensive Building Green Communities model, which includes its Extreme Green Rehabilitation process and related Work Mentor program. Watch this video to learn more about BOH and its mission.
Through its rehabilitation process, BOH recycles homes slated for demolition using green building standards and then sells them at cost to working families. The organization’s work program provides “green collar” and basic workplace competency job training to chronically unemployed populations, such as the homeless, ex-offenders and at-risk youth, in a full life-mentoring program – helping to contribute to the long-term revitalization and economic sustainability of each community in which BOH works.
Among the organization’s greatest achievements are its contributions to the environment. In 2008 alone, BOH saved more than two million pounds of construction debris from entering landfills. In addition, homes produced using the Extreme Green Rehabilitation model have passed both the North Carolina Healthy Built Homes and Advanced Energy’s SystemVision guarantee process. Ultimately, this means that these energy-efficient homes will be more affordable to owners over the long run with the money they will save on utilities. Additionally, in 2009, BOH was honored as a leader in sustainable development, receiving the City of Raleigh’s Environmental Stewardship Award.
Award Finalists
NHC would like to sincerely thank this year’s award finalists, including the Atlanta Housing Authority, Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership, Bank of America, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development, Mercy Housing Chicago, Mercy Housing Idaho, Metropolitan Planning Council, NeighborWorks® America, Ohio Finance Housing Agency, Preservation of Affordable Housing, Inc., San Diego Housing Commission, and Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future.
Beginning this week, NHC will be highlighting project and program submissions from each of the award finalists on “Open House” with its new blog topic entitled, “Pioneering Housing Strategies: NHC Members Making a Difference in Local Communities.”
About the Award
Established this year, the NHC “Pioneering Housing Strategies” Award was developed to replace the NHC “Excellence in Housing Communications” Award in order to recognize a broader range of creative activities. The honor acknowledges pioneering, forward-thinking strategies that are changing the way we approach affordable housing and community development initiatives.
The recipient of last year’s NHC “Excellence in Housing Communications” Award was BRIDGE Housing Corporation for its interactive “virtual municipality” BRIDGEtown, which showcases the organization’s mixed-use and mixed-income neighborhoods, providing a valuable framework for developers looking to create similar models in their own communities.