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For Immediate Release
May 30, 2006 |
Contact: Patricia Dashiell
(202) 895-8900 |
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County Continues Commitment to Affordable Housing Communities
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Fairfax County funds youth, career and skill enhancement programs by Community Preservation and Development Corporation
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Fairfax County, VA - The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted to fund established resident services programs at Buckman Road in Alexandria, VA and help establish similar work at Island Walk in Reston, VA with $227,231 in each of the next two fiscal years. The project was funded through the County's Consolidated Community Funding Pool (CCFP), a competitive funding process for provision of programs and services to County residents through community-based nonprofits, with the second year's award contingent upon County appropriation of funds. Both communities are owned and operated by affordable housing developer Community Preservation and Development Corporation (CPDC).
CPDC was founded on the belief that responsible affordable housing owners should make an investment in the community as a whole rather than simply shoring up the bricks and mortar and that such an investment would help ensure the enduring asset of the redevelopment. Currently, the organization has over 3,800 units in 26 properties, across 12 cities in the mid-Atlantic region. At a majority of these sites, residents have the opportunity to engage in educational and empowerment programs.
"Fairfax County recognizes the need for residents of affordable housing communities to have access to the tools, resources, and training necessary to effect change in their lives and the lives of their communities," stated Paula Sampson, Director of the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development. "CPDC represents an organization that is committed to the delivery of on-site community development programs designed to specifically meet the needs of residents in these communities."
For the past four years, Fairfax County has funded CPDC's ability to provide residents at Buckman Road, both youth and adults, access to programs based on utilizing cutting-edge technology for academic support and job skills training. Participants in the career and skill enhancement programs have earned GEDs, studied professional development, and acquired the technology skills necessary to be competitive in today's marketplace. Some have gone on to college, while others have significantly increased their salaries.
Participants in the youth development programs have improved study skills and raised their level of achievement in reading. Youth leadership elements of the program have helped these young residents address living in a diverse community and discover ways they can best navigate planning for their future.
At Buckman Road, one third of the 45 youth who attend CPDC @ Buckman Road's after school program have severe academic needs. Fairfax County has been instrumental in the funding and support of an intensive special needs reading program. After assessing the students, all of whom were significantly below grade level, a reading specialist worked with them three times a week on literacy skills and a teacher from the local school system worked daily on homework assistance. Within a year, 70% of the participants had achieved grade level competency in literacy skills.
The new career and skill enhancement program will also directly address the needs of residents of Buckman Road. Recognizing that many who would like to participate currently work at jobs without set schedules, CPDC is working to build in flexibility in course work of its programming. Partnering with Bryant Adult Education Center, an affiliate of Fairfax County Public Schools, and funded by Fairfax County, CPDC aims to help residents learn the skills necessary to effect change in their lives. This will include literacy skills, accent reduction, and a job placement coach who will also assist with professional development during the first year of employment.
"Fairfax County is a partner not only to CPDC, but more importantly to the residents of Buckman Road," stated J. Michael Pitchford, CPDC's president and CEO. "The County has consistently responded to the needs of these residents, underwriting them financially and advocating their value publicly in its commitment to support vibrant affordable housing communities."
Fairfax County also awarded funds to help establish youth development programs in the newly renovated Island Walk community. Residents of this former Cooperative were proactive in preserving their homes, issuing their own RFP, and ultimately relinquishing ownership to save them. The redevelopment provided CPDC the opportunity to add a community center with a computer lab. There, youth will have the opportunity to support their studies, learning from the leadership examples in their own community.
Youth at Island Walk represent the same needs as those at Buckman Road. Many of them are immigrants and are in need of literacy development assistance. CPDC has worked with local school personnel to design a program that will help address those needs. Fairfax County will again be funding a reading specialist and homework assistance. Also include in the program will be access to Kid Biz, an online reading comprehension program tailored to the reading level of the participant, but based on current news and events.
Historically, CPDC's programmatic work has been based on previous resident assessments, best practices, and periodic evaluations. In an effort to allow the success and challenges of operating community development programs to further strengthen the organization, CPDC has recently adopted an operating model that will put resident needs assessment and regular outcomes in a loop that will continually measure efficacy and impact on the communities.
CPDC works with residents, governments, and financiers to turn around troubled communities and preserving those subjected to market pressures and rising rents. Wardman Court, Edgewood Terrace, and Southern Ridge in Washington, DC represent model successes where crime and mismanagement once ruled. Island Walk and 1330 Seventh Street in the District are examples of where complex financing allowed for sustainability and the opportunity for residents to eventually own their homes. The Wiley H. Bates Memorial Complex in Annapolis, Maryland is CPDC's most recent project combining affordable housing and historic preservation, adding 71 units for seniors in this adaptive reuse project in Anne Arundel County. |
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| CPDC's mission is to develop vibrant communities through innovation and partnerships. To accomplish this, CPDC creates and preserves financially sound, socially responsible affordable housing for low- and moderate-income individuals and families and, in cooperation with community residents, develops community programs that strengthen communities and increase opportunities for growth. |
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