Sierra Meadows Wins 2013 MetLife Foundation Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing

VISALIA, Calif., Aug. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- MetLife Foundation and Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. (Enterprise) today named Christian Church Homes of Northern California (CCH) a recipient of the 2013 MetLife Foundation Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing, lauding the nonprofit's Sierra Meadows property.

This year's MetLife Foundation Award focused on connecting senior housing to health care programs, supportive services and green building standards. Four winners were selected in the national competition, with each receiving a $50,000 unrestricted grant to sustain and to expand its work in senior housing.

"With the rapid growth of the aging population and increasing longevity, senior housing coupled with preventative health care and supportive programs is essential to provide for older adults' needs," said Dennis White, President and CEO, MetLife Foundation. "We are pleased to join Enterprise in recognizing Christian Church Homes for their leadership in service-enriched, senior housing."

"The best affordable housing developers, like CCH, recognize that building affordable apartments isn't enough. To transform lives, we need to combine high quality apartments with services and sustainable building," noted Rich Gross, Vice President and Northern California market leader, Enterprise. "We're proud to be a part of the MetLife Foundation Awards and honor Sierra Meadows."

CCH provides a wide range of onsite social, educational and recreational activities to empower residents to remain independent and to prevent a premature and costlier move to nursing home care.  Sierra Meadows residents benefit from CCH's long-standing partnership with Visalia Senior Housing, Inc. and its strong ties to local service providers. CCH staff members spend more than 75 percent of their time in direct service to coordinate residents' needs with senior resource agencies.

Certified as a LEED Gold building by the U.S. Green Building Council, Sierra Meadows is located near transportation and shopping, and the 43-apartment development has generous community space and an outdoor recreation area with walking paths and garden boxes to encourage social interaction among residents.

"For more than five decades, Christian Church Homes has worked hard to provide the highest quality affordable housing for seniors of limited income.  For CCH, quality means not only a clean, safe and affordable apartment, but also an environment where seniors are fully supported to age in place with dignity," said Don Stump, President and CEO, CCH. "The MetLife Foundation Award recognizes the importance of supportive housing for older adults, and we thank MetLife and Enterprise for this honor."

The MetLife Foundation Award will be formally presented to CCH by Enterprise's Rich Gross and Carl Olson, MetLife Managing Director, during the nonprofit's annual fundraising celebration in Oakland on Friday, Sept. 6.

The other winners of the 2013 MetLife Foundation Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing are:

• Mercy Housing Lakefront and Neighborhood Housing Services for Roseland Place Senior Apartments in Chicago, IL
• REACH Community Development for Walnut Park Apartments in Portland, OR
• Presbyterian Senior Living for Presbyterian Apartments in Harrisburg, PA

Established in 1996, the MetLife Foundation Awards have honored 97 affordable housing providers across the country and awarded a total of $2.1 million to the winners. Created to showcase models of excellence in design, supportive services, operations and property management in affordable housing, the awards have elevated the winning organizations through support and recognition for their work.

"This year's recipients have adeptly responded to the increased need to connect primary and preventative health to senior housing, while navigating the ever-changing health care landscape," noted Victoria Shire, Vice President, Vulnerable Populations, Enterprise. "These organizations have determined how to best direct internal resources and how to leverage external partnerships to ensure their residents receive maximum services within a safe, healthy, supportive environment to enjoy their lives."

MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 to continue MetLife's long tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement.  The Foundation is committed to building a secure future for individuals and communities worldwide which is reflected in its new focus on financial inclusion.  MetLife Foundation supports innovative approaches to help low income people acquire the financial tools and capabilities to dramatically improve their lives. Since it was established, it has provided more than $570 million in grants and $100 million in program-related investments to nonprofit organizations.

Enterprise works with partners nationwide to build opportunity. We create and advocate for affordable homes in thriving communities linked to jobs, good schools, health care and transportation. We lend funds, finance development and manage and build affordable housing, while shaping new strategies, solutions and policy. Over more than 30 years, Enterprise has created 300,000 homes, invested nearly $14 billion and touched millions of lives. Join us at www.EnterpriseCommunity.com or www.EnterpriseCommunity.org.

SOURCE Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.