City of Austin's Housing Department Wins Award of Excellence for Senior Housing Project

Austin, Texas (Jan. 19, 2005)– Today, the City of Austin’s Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department will accept a National Award of Excellence for their affordable housing project, Lyons Gardens. The award is given on behalf of the National Community Development Association (NCDA).

It is the inaugural year for the Terrence R. Duvernay HOME Program Awards which recognizes exemplary affordable housing projects across the country that have used HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) funds. NCDA developed the award to honor outstanding HOME-funded projects; to celebrate the HOME Program’s 15th anniversary and to honor the memory of its Past-President, Terrence R. Duvernay, who was a strong supporter of the HOME program.

The City of Austin was one of 16 cities chosen nationally for the exemplary Lyons Gardens senior housing project. Lyons Gardens, which is sponsored by Family Eldercare provides 53 affordable rental units for low-income seniors 62 years and older.

"Lyons Gardens with the outstanding support of our city and the Neighborhood and Community Development staff," said Karen Langley, Executive Director of Family Eldercare. "We hope this public and private venture will serve as a model and will inspire other communities to dream big and build affordable housing that will honor and support those who have given so much of themselves…our elderly," she said.

The award will be accepted on behalf of Paul Hilgers, Director of the City's Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department in Washington, D.C. during a joint NCDA and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) HOME conference and Legislative Policy and Training Conference.

The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Please call 974-3100 (voice) or 974-3102 (TDD) for assistance. This project is made possible by funding from HUD through the City of Austin.

CONTACT: Brenda de la Garza, 974-3175 (voice),