by Andrea Nesby,
National Housing Conference
On Dec. 19, 2016, NHC member the NHP Foundation (NHPF) welcomed Texas state and local officials to tour to-date $40.9 million renovations on a multifamily housing community. The NHP Foundation received funding to renovate Cleme Manor Apartments, a 284-apartment complex located in the Fifth Ward neighborhood in Houston.
 |
| From left to right: Richard Burns, CEO, NHP Foundation; Mark Montgomery, president, BBVA Houston City; Kathy Blueford-Daniels, president, Greater Fifth Ward; Tom McCasland, director, HCDD and Dr. Edward Pringle, director, Houston U.S. Housing and Urban Development photo by: Kevin Dunn |
“Cleme Manor is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for NHPF,” said NHPF’s president and CEO Richard Burns. “Because of its scale, unique needs and the impending aesthetic changes and updates to the neighborhood, Cleme Manor has provided NHPF with an unusually robust chance to ‘get in on the ground-floor’ and play an essential part in the early stages of an exciting neighborhood revitalization.[a1] We are excited and grateful to have this opportunity to deliver a sustainably improved living environment for the residents of Cleme Manor Apartments and additional high-quality affordable housing for the city of Houston.”
Through funding and partnerships with PNC Bank N.A., BBVA Compass, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National Affordable Housing Trust, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs and the City of Houston, NHPF has been able to complete renovations the property has not seen in over 20 years, including the installation of new drywall, Energy Star appliances, doors, higher efficiency HVAC units and water heaters, windows, water savings improvements and more. Construction of a new play area, tot lot and renovation of the office, community space and laundry facilities are underway.
The project started in October 2016 and is expected to wrap up by December 2017.
Is your organization part of restoring and rehabilitating a community development? If so, NHC’s Restoring Neighborhoods Task Force may be of interest to you. NHC lifts up best practices for comprehensive community development like NHPF’s Cleme Manor Apartments rehabilitation to help those neighborhoods still struggling to recover from the foreclosure crisis, the recession or many years of underinvestment and neglect. For more information or to participate in the task force, contact NHC policy and research associate Kaitlyn Snyder.