The Hanley Foundation and Hanley Wood announced today that Skid Row Housing Trust, headquartered in Los Angeles, will receive the third annual Hanley Award for Community Service in Sustainability. The award, with its $25,000 grant, was created to recognize community-based and non-profit organizations working to advance sustainability and environmental awareness in the host cities of the annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, which takes place this year in Los Angeles.
Skid Row, a neighborhood of approximately 50 square blocks located just east of Downtown Los Angeles, is also known as Central City East. The area has a longstanding history as a residential neighborhood for those with the least. After destruction of more than 15,000 residential apartments in Skid Row forced thousands of residents into the city’s shelters and sidewalks, Skid Row Housing Trust was founded in 1989 to preserve low-income housing. The Trust has since become a nationally recognized leader in Housing First, providing permanent supportive housing to break the cycle of chronic homelessness.
Michael J. Hanley, president of the Hanley Foundation and creator of the Hanley Award for Community Service in Sustainability, has long admired the work of the Skid Row Housing Trust; particularly the Star Apartments, hailed by Time Magazine as one of the best inventions in 2015. “The iconic Star, while providing housing to the formerly homeless, is an extraordinary Michael Maltzan-designed structure that has become the pride of the neighborhood – all while achieving LEED Platinum Certification, with performance of 28.8% beyond Title 24 2008 standards,” said Hanley.
Affordable Housing Finance is published by Hanley Wood.
The Star, which broke ground in early 2012, was built using an existing one-story commercial building to eliminate the need to send unnecessary materials to landfills. To further reduce building waste and costs, the Star was constructed by assembling pre-fabricated modules onto the existing structure. All the units feature energy-efficiency appliances and air-filtration systems, and low VOC finishes improve indoor air quality. To contribute to the minimization of traffic congestion and air pollution, Star Apartments promotes green living among its residents by providing an artistic installation of 31 bicycle storage stations. Additional LEED projects spearheaded by Skid Row Housing Trust include The Six (LEED Platinum), the New Pershing Apartments (LEED Gold), and Crest Apartments under construction now and on track to achieve LEED Platinum Certification.
"We are deeply honored to be recognized with this prestigious award by The Hanley Foundation,” said Michael Alvidrez, CEO of Skid Row Housing Trust. “An award of this magnitude helps fuse our core values of compassion and sustainability as we develop affordable housing for those who need it most.”
The Hanley Award for Community Service in Sustainability will be presented alongside The Hanley Award for Vision and Leadership in Sustainability ($50,000) to this year’s recipient, Rick Fedrizzi at The Hanley Award dinner, which takes place annually during the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo. Both awards will be presented at The Hanley Award dinner on Oct. 4 in Los Angeles.
The Hanley Award for Community Service recognizes the efforts of organizations working within the annual Greenbuild host city region in one of the following areas: 1) providing housing that is affordable, sustainable and healthy; 2) expanding community awareness in sustainability and environmental issues through education and/or demonstration projects; 3) developing and advocating innovations in local and regional policies affecting sustainability; and 4) creating sustainable public buildings that advance community awareness.
Previous Hanley Award for Community Service in Sustainability recipients are Chesapeake Bay Foundation (2015) and Make it Right Foundation (2014).
About Skid Row Housing Trust
Skid Row Housing Trust (the Trust) provides permanent supportive housing so that people who have experienced homelessness, prolonged extreme poverty, poor health, disabilities, mental illness and/or addiction can lead safe, stable lives in wellness. With over 25 years of experience, the Trust operates 25 buildings with almost 1,800 homes, providing hundreds of individuals experiencing homelessness with access to housing each year. The Trust designs and builds innovative facilities with on-site supportive services that create safe spaces and encourage community. Utilizing the evidence-based models of Housing First and Harm Reduction, the Trust promotes the long-term stability of its residents by providing access to case management, mental health treatment, substance abuse recovery, and primary health care. Learn more at skidrow.org.
About The Hanley Foundation
The Hanley Foundation is a nonprofit foundation created in 1999 by Michael and Kathryn Hanley that provides support for organizations working in the areas of affordable housing, environmental awareness, and community services. The Washington, DC-based foundation supports local entities helping to provide shelter, like Friendship Place in Washington, D.C., and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, and environmental organizations like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The Hanley Awards were created to recognize and honor significant and lasting contributions to advancing sustainability in the built environment. The Hanley Award for Vision and Leadership in Sustainability, now in its seventh year, was established in 2009.
About Hanley Wood
Hanley Wood is the premier company serving the information, media, and marketing needs of the residential, commercial design and construction industry. Utilizing the largest analytics and editorial-driven Construction Industry Database, the company provides business intelligence and data-driven services. The company produces award-winning media, high profile executive events, and strategic marketing solutions. To learn more, visit hanleywood.com.
