Award Winner: Consortium for Superior Service

摘要

The Fort Wayne Housing Authority (Ind.) developed the Housing Strategies Meetings from the Consortium to Provide Superior Service to exchange information about their services with other local service providers in order to effectively meet their clients' specific needs. Nominated from among the NAHRO Award of Merit winners each year, the Awards of Excellence winners are chosen by national juries and honored at the annual National Conference and Exhibition in October. They represent the very best in innovative programs in assisted housing and community development. This agency received an award in the Community Revitalization category, which includes programs that have a positive economic impact on a neighborhood or city, i.e. balanced growth, economic development, job creation; creative financing, public/private partnerships, mixed-use developments or neighborhood preservation. Fort Wayne Housing Authority’s (FWHA) developed the Housing Strategies Meetings, a consortium of local service providers, to exchange information detailing the services offered by each organization and to easily connect individuals and families to the local service provider who can best handle their needs. FWHA assists more than 8,000 individuals in their community, and their clients’ requests have begun to increasingly extend beyond the realm of affordable housing. Some individuals were once homeless and now need assistance in furnishing their new homes, while others seek access to discounted food and clothing. When FWHA received requests for services that were easily addressed, residents and participants were referred accordingly. But for others, finding the right solution became more challenging over time.