Dallas project cited as national model by HUD and the American Institute of Architects

“The Bridge” Homeless Assistance Center named as a national model of affordable housing

WASHINGTON – May 1, 2009 – (RealEstateRama) — Four affordable housing developments are recipients of the HUD Secretary’s Housing and Community Design Award for excellence in residential housing design. The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in conjunction with the American Institute of Architects, selected Homeless Assistance Center of Dallas, Texas; Project Place – Gatehouse of Boston, Massachusetts; Bridgeton Neighborhood Revitalization of Bridgeton, New Jersey; and Irvington Terrace of Fremont, California.

The awards were presented during the 2009 AIA National Convention and Design Exposition in San Francisco.

HUD Secretary Donovan, himself a trained architect, said, “These housing developments are truly transformational. They go beyond both form and function and are helping to revitalize their surrounding neighborhoods. These winning designs show that affordable housing and good design can go hand in hand.”

Dallas won the HUD Secretary’s Housing and Community Design Award in the area of Community-Informed Design for its Homeless Assistance Center, known as “The Bridge.” A safe haven and focus for services for more than 6,000 homeless people, it empowers both the chronically and newly homeless to come off the streets and sustain permanent housing in order to live productively. Since opening in May, the Bridge has been more successful than anticipated. Widely accepted by homeless people, a facility designed for 400 now handles up to 1000 people a day, and more than 500 individuals have received training, counseling, and secured employment/permanent housing. Results are tangible, and the surrounding neighborhood is revitalizing; crime has been reduced in the area by 18 percent. The Bridge proves that shelters should not be isolated, but an integrated part of the community.

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