October 2024 E-Newsletter | |
2024 AHC Annual Celebration: Opening Doors, Building Opportunities | |
On October 10, we held the 2024 AHC Annual Celebration at The Westerly, our newest community in Washington, D.C. It was a wonderful evening of conversation and connection with our many partners.
The event kicked off with building tours, and then the crowd heard from Hilary Chapman, AHC Board Vice-Chair, Patrice Williams, resident at The Westerly, and Paul Bernard, AHC President & CEO, about the ways we’re driving change and transforming lives across the region.
A special thank you to Tracy Hadden Loh with the Brookings Metro Center for Transformative Placemaking for her captivating keynote about the importance of transit-oriented housing.
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Dyslexic Edge, IMSE, AHC, and the Booz Allen Foundation Announce Partnership
This month, AHC is launching an innovative program called Dyslexic Edge Academy with partners Dyslexic Edge, the Booz Allen Foundation, and the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education.
This groundbreaking program will provide students in grades 1-3 with critical reading intervention and STEM enrichment in a safe, supportive, and engaging environment where they can develop academic, social, and personal skills.
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Secretary Day Visits Allium Place
Last month, we showed Maryland Secretary of Housing and Community Development Jake Day around Allium Place, our upcoming community in Montgomery County with partner Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland. A big thank you to Maryland DHCD for stopping by and to Andrew Friedson, Montgomery County Council President, for attending.
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International Housing Partnership Tours The Westerly
This month, members of the International Housing Partnership (IHP) visited The Westerly in Washington, D.C., a mixed-income community that includes 449 apartments, 136 of which are affordable.
The IHP is a collaborative of nonprofits from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States that collectively operate 1 million affordable homes and house more than 2.5 million people. We enjoyed sharing our community’s wide array of amenity spaces, retail, educational, and cultural options.
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Barclay Greenmount Receives Safety Grant
Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development awarded Barclay Greenmount, an AHC community in Baltimore, a $97,000 Community Health and Safety Works grant. The grant will help enhance resident and pedestrian safety through improved lighting and surveillance systems.
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AHC at VHA Housing Credit Conference | |
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At the Virginia Housing Alliance Housing Credit Conference 2024, Alan Goldstein, Vice President of Real Estate Development at AHC, served on a panel about how mixing market-rate and affordable housing can increase housing production through examples like The Westerly, AHC’s mixed-income community with Hoffman & Associates in Washington, D.C.
David Brotman, Development Manager at AHC, highlighted AHC’s partnership with Goodwill of Greater Washington while serving on a panel about the power of joint ventures. The Goodwill partnership will provide critically needed, service-enriched, affordable housing and a new retail store and donation center on the existing store’s site.
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AHC Presents at NeighborWorks Convening
During NeighborWorks America’s Annual Resident Services Convening, Stefanie Bass, AHC Director of Supportive Services, led the virtual session “Becoming Trauma Informed: Trauma Awareness and Response Training" about what trauma is, how it manifests, and how service providers can recognize its signs and support residents in equitable ways.
Cindy Rozón, AHC Senior Director of Resident Services, also spoke during a breakout session about how AHC has integrated housing stability into our work through policies, procedures, and practices between Resident Services, property management, and asset management.
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Affordable Housing + Education
Milenka Coronel Samey, AHC Director of Education, wrote an article for Minding the Campus about how students benefit when affordable housing is paired with education services.
She shared the ways AHC is supporting residents from elementary school through the end of high school and helping them successfully transition to their next steps.
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CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT | |
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Capital One has been a generous AHC donor and partner for nearly 15 years. We’re thankful for Capital One joining us in our mission by supporting AHC’s Resident Services and our affordable housing development.
The Capital One team has helped our residents through financial contributions, food drives, providing free Chromebooks and free internet access, and more.
"When residents have access to safe, stable, and affordable housing, it can provide greater opportunity to achieve financial resilience, save for the future and build wealth,” Desiree Francis, Head of Community Finance at Capital One, said. “Since 2010, Capital One has had the privilege to work with AHC to create or preserve 19 affordable housing developments in the region and support resident services primarily related to financial and digital literacy and access."
Thank you, Capital One, for helping us drive change and transform lives!
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Kickball for Community
Last month, Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) invited us for a friendly game of kickball to highlight our 15-year partnership that allows our residents easy access to free groceries each week. After some riveting competition, we won the coveted trophy!
Kudos to Donna Budway and Josue Amaya from Our Stomping Ground for being our referees. And a big thank you to the AHC team members and their families who showed up to cheer our team on to victory and to AFAC for this important partnership.
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Spotlighting AHC Communities | |
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Our October #CommunitySpotlight is Harvey Hall, an AHC community in Arlington. Hear about what Norma loves about working as the Resident Engagement Specialist there and what Resident Services means to the families in the community.
Plus, watch as young residents in the Afterschool program work on a craft for Hispanic Heritage Month. The students created art inspired by the Huichol people, an Indigenous group from land in what is now Mexico and the United States.
Watch the video.
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Amazon + AHC
Over the years, Amazon has supported AHC and our communities in so many ways. Through volunteering, supporting food assistance efforts, providing career exploration for AHC teens, and providing financial gifts to support education and community building at AHC, Amazon has made a huge impact on the lives of AHC residents.
A prime example is the AWS Girls' Tech Day at Amazon’s headquarters in Arlington. Earlier this month, our young residents participated in this fun day of learning, creating, and building friendships.
Watch the video about this incredible partnership.
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Volunteer Opportunities
We have so many ways to get involved.
Check out our one-time volunteer opportunities for Arlington food distributions on Mondays, helping with the end-of-year fundraising appeal from November 4-7 in Arlington, and education programs weekly Monday through Thursday in Arlington and Baltimore. We’re also looking for volunteers to make snack bags and holiday gift bags for residents.
Learn more or contact [email protected] for more information.
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Just as buildings need solid foundations, individuals require support and stability to succeed. Thank you for helping more AHC families receive pathways to housing stability and personal success - whether in the classroom, the workforce, or beyond. | |
Thank You to Our 2024 Corporate Partners to Date! | | |
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Patron
Amazon
Habitat America
JBG Smith
MainStreet Bank
Merchants Capital
Hoffman & Associates
Virginia Housing
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Our corporate partners provide critical funding to ensure AHC’s Resident Services can provide essential social services and education programs in AHC communities. To learn more about becoming a corporate partner, contact [email protected]. | | | | |
