September 23, 2022
San Diego Housing Commission Receives National Awards for Affordable Housing, Community Revitalization and Administrative Innovation
SAN DIEGO, CA – San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) programs to help homeowners who want to build accessory dwelling units, assist households with low income during the COVID-19 pandemic, and provide online data dashboards about affordable housing and homelessness received Awards of Merit from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).
“These programs demonstrate the San Diego Housing Commission’s core values in action. We serve our clients with equity, dignity and respect; are committed to excellence and innovation in all we do; and believe in transparency and being good financial stewards,” SDHC Interim President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Davis said. “I thank NAHRO for this recognition. These types of initiatives are possible because of the leadership and support of Mayor Todd Gloria, the San Diego City Council, the San Diego Housing Commission Board of Commissioners, our outstanding staff, and the many community organizations that work with us.”
The NAHRO Awards of Merit were presented September 21, 2022. NAHRO Awards of Merit recognize innovative housing and community development projects, programs, and services. NAHRO is holding its national conference in San Diego September 22 – 24, 2022.
The SDHC Awards of Merit winners this year are:
- Affordable Housing: SDHC Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Development Pilot Program – SDHC built five ADUs in the available yard space of five single-family homes SDHC owns and rents as affordable housing in the City of San Diego. SDHC also detailed key takeaways and lessons learned from this process to provide important information to help San Diego homeowners interested in building ADUs on their properties.
- Community Revitalization: City of San Diego COVID-19 Housing Stability Assistance Program – SDHC operated and administered this program, which helped pay rent and utilities for qualifying households with low income who experienced financial hardship due to or during the pandemic. SDHC made payments totaling more than $218 million to help more than 18,300 eligible households. Assistance payments helped households remain in their homes and provided financial resources to landlords and utility providers. SDHC engaged in extensive, collaborative community outreach and successfully provided funds to households in need as other jurisdictions nationwide experienced challenges disbursing federal emergency rent relief funds.
- Administrative Innovation: Online Dashboards for Homelessness Programs and Affordable Housing – SDHC created comprehensive, interactive online dashboards to provide the public and policymakers with important data about affordable housing and homelessness programs in the City of San Diego.
SDHC’s ADU Development Pilot Program and the COVID-19 Housing Stability Assistance Program are also under consideration for NAHRO Awards of Excellence, which will be announced at a later date. Only 18 programs or initiatives nationwide received Awards of Excellence when they were last presented in March 2022, including SDHC’s report, Preserving Affordable Housing in the City of San Diego.
NAHRO is a membership organization of more than 19,500 housing and community development providers and professionals throughout the United States.
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Media Contact:
Scott Marshall
Vice President of Communications
San Diego Housing Commission
619-578-7138
