SEATTLE—June 17, 2003—Michael Liu, Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing for the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) visited with local Seattle housing partners today in celebration of National Homeownership Month.
Liu presented a certificate acknowledging the New Face of America's Public Housing Award to the Seattle Housing Authority.
The award, a collaboration between HUD and the Congress of New Urbanism, recognizes the housing authority’s achievement in the transformation of Holly Park, a distressed public housing community, into NewHolly, a mixed-income community featuring home-ownership opportunities for people at all income levels, along with market-rate and low-income rentals.
Liu said, "NewHolly is a terrific example of the effective use of mixed financing to achieve the common mission of HUD and its housing partners—to help provide clean, safe, affordable housing opportunities and a suitable living environment in our communities. Expanding homeownership helps to make the American Dream a reality for more and more of our citizens."
The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) administered the awards proceedings under contract with HUD. Since its founding in 1992, the nonprofit CNU has worked to create better neighborhoods for all Americans.
"NewHolly is working for the people who live here," said Seattle Housing Authority Executive Director Harry Thomas, "It is heartening to have our success here recognized with this award at the national level."
The New Face of America's Public Housing Awards recognize mixed-finance developments that have demonstrated innovation and leadership in the transformation of public housing and the lives of residents. In addition to HUD's HOPE VI grants totaling nearly $50 million for NewHolly, partners are contributing additional public and private funds, bringing the projected total to approximately $275 million.
Also featured in the program was Anh Nga Duong, who is in the process of purchasing a home through NewHolly's lease to own program. Ms. Duong was a former resident of Holly Park, and now lives at NewHolly. She has been employed on the NewHolly management staff and attended homeownership counseling classes at NewHolly.
"I had two dreams for my life in America," she said. "One was to be able to have employment, and the other was to own my own home. HOPE VI has helped me to achieve both of my big dreams."
National Homeownership Month is an annual recognition by HUD and its partners to bring information about homeownership opportunities to more Americans, including minorities. Assistant Secretary Liu is celebrating National Homeownership Month at NewHolly because the community exemplifies a wide variety of home ownership opportunities for residents seeking to move up the economic ladder. Programs to assist homebuyers have included:
Counseling for first time homebuyers in the buying process, budgeting and credit repair.
Down payment assistance through the City of Seattle Office of Housing and HUD’s HOME program.
Participation by Seattle Habitat for Humanity. This organization has completed construction with twenty families on their first homes at NewHolly, and will begin construction this summer on the next eight.
The Seattle Housing Authority has removed 871 units of aging, dilapidated housing and is replacing them with a mix of low-income, moderate-income and market-rate housing. When completed, NewHolly will include approximately 1,390 units of housing, 400 of which are home ownership units. 100 of these will be affordable to people at 80 percent or less of area median income ($56,500 for a family of four).