Evansville Housing Authority

EHA Receives Award of Merit from NAHRO

(Evansville, Indiana) – The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) Recently honored the Evansville Housing Authority with two 2019 Awards of Merit. The winning projects were: Buckner Tower – RAD Geothermal Conversion in the Projects Design Category and White Oak Manor – RAD Geothermal Conversion also in the Project Design Category.

Both projects receiving awards were part of a conversion to HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. All public housing units at the Evansville Housing Authority were converted to RAD and now receive funding assistance through project-based vouchers. Renovations at Buckner Tower and White Oak Manor included new state of the art geothermal heating and cooling systems. As a result, overall operating expenses for the project have been reduced and the quality of living spaces for residents has improved.

“Congratulations to our 2019 Awards of Merit recipients,” said NAHRO President Carl S. Richie, Jr. “I am so proud of the great work they’re doing for their clients and their communities.”

The NAHRO Awards of Merit program was created 20 years ago to recognize agencies who found innovative ways of making a difference in their communities and in the lives of the people they serve by creating affordable housing, revitalizing their neighborhoods, and developing initiatives such as job readiness programs, public-private partnerships, disaster prevention projects, and more.

“The Awards of Merit catalog is more than a list of winners,” said NAHRO CEO Adrianne Todman. “It’s a yearly compendium of some of the best work being done by housers and community builders nationwide. Congratulations to this year’s honorees!”

Contact: Rick Moore, Executive Director, 402 Court Street, Suite B, Evansville, IN 47708

About NAHRO: NAHRO, established in 1933, is a membership organization of nearly 20,000 housing and community development agencies and professionals throughout the United States whose mission is to create affordable housing and safe, viable communities that enhance the quality of life for all Americans, especially those of low and moderate-income. NAHRO’s membership administers more than 3 million housing units for 7.6 million people.

EHA Among First in Nation To Undergo RAD Conversion

Evansville, Indiana was one of the first cities in the nation selected by HUD to participate in renovating the first 60,000 public housing units in the country through the new RAD (Rental Assistance Demonstration) Project. It was also the first city in Indiana to close on RAD financing and begin construction.

In June, 2016, EHA kicked off its $18.2 million Phase 1 RAD refurbishment project, to affect 62 percent of its 888 public housing units. Completion of Phase 1 improvements is expected by June 30, 2017. Phase 2 refurbishments and updates totaling $13.5 million will begin later in 2016 with a projected completion date in late 2017.

RAD Journey Began in 2014

The Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority (IHCDA) approved EHA’s application to utilize low-income housing tax credits in December, 2014. From there it took a great deal of collaboration and perseverance to complete the paperwork and meet strict RAD application requirements. EHA closed on HUD Issuance and Execution of the RAD Conversion in early spring, 2016, and public housing improvements got under way several weeks later. As of November 2018, EHA’S entire inventory of public housing units has been converted to RAD and is now operating under project – based voucher assistance.