BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, (September 30, 2021) – The Louisiana Housing Corporation’s (LHC) statewide effort to significantly address and combat homelessness in Louisiana was acknowledged this week during the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) 50th Annual Virtual Housing Conference.
The 2021 Annual Awards for Program Excellence is a national award that recognizes some of the affordable housing community’s toughest challenges. NCSHA has provided best practices and offers resources to state housing finance agencies (HFA) nationwide.
“Louisiana residents facing housing insecurity was one of the most vulnerable populations with potential exposure to COVID-19 in our nation,” said LHC Interim Executive Director Bradley R. Sweazy. “Our efforts to successfully house the State’s homeless population during a time of crisis is a testament to the hard work, innovation and commitment from our team of dedicated professionals.”
LHC was recognized for its non-congregate sheltering (NCS) to Permanent Housing Initiative – a cooperative effort that involved public, private, and community partners. This is an acknowledgment amongst peer housing finance agencies of new and innovative work being implemented in Louisiana. LHC is the first agency to deliver this type of solution to serve homeless citizens impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which ultimately created a model program for other HFA’s to emulate.
“I’m very proud of our LHC team for finding innovative ways to help those who are homeless and who have been displaced due to the extensive damage caused by hurricanes and severe weather find real housing solutions,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards. “Having a place to call home is essential to helping individuals, families and communities thrive, and we are committed to continuing that important work.”
The award-winning initiative focused on creating NCS sufficient to accommodate the state’s entire unsheltered population, to rapidly transition to permanent housing (PH), and provide homelessness prevention opportunities statewide, including rental assistance, to prevent more people from entering the homeless services system.
“This year’s awards program shows state HFAs around the country innovating to meet the most pressing challenges facing their states and the country: deepening housing instability for low-income renters, worsening shortages of new affordable homes, widening racial wealth and opportunity gaps, and more frequent and severe natural disasters,” said NCSHA Executive Director Stockton Williams.
Established in 1984, NCSHA’s Annual Awards for Program Excellence identify and elevate industry best practices and encourage continued HFA innovation. In 2021, 33 HFAs submitted entries in this program.
More information about the Louisiana Housing Corporation’s NCS to Permanent Housing Initiative can be found here.
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