Award Honors Efforts that Help Residents Live Independently

Individuals and organizations that are creating quality housing opportunities for Pennsylvanians can be nominated for the commonwealth’s 2010 Supportive Housing Award.

The award - sponsored by the departments of Public Welfare and Aging and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency - recognizes significant efforts to increase the availability of supportive housing in Pennsylvania.

Such housing is defined as housing that is:

• Safe and secure;
• Affordable to its target population (not exceeding 30-percent of monthly household income);
• Capable of coordinating readily available, flexible and responsive services in the community;
• Accessible to older adults, those with disabilities and those with low incomes.

“Pennsylvania has made solid progress with increasing supportive housing that provides housing and services that enable people to remain in their communities and move out of institutional settings,” Public Welfare Secretary Harriet Dichter said. “The combination of affordable housing and supportive services such as case management and housekeeping assistance helps people to maintain their independence. The Supportive Housing Award recognizes those who have shown leadership and innovation in creating new housing models and strategies.”

Nominations are accepted through Sept. 15 and are open to any individual or organization, public or private, including builders, architects, planners, public housing authorities, municipal governments, financial institutions and non-profits.

The award winner will be announced in November at the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania conference in Harrisburg.

For more information on the award, e-mail ra-housingaward@state.pa.us.