Press Room

Fourteen nonprofits honored for their excellence in the creation and management of supportive housing for homeless individuals and families.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Fannie Mae Foundation, in collaboration with the Partnership to End Long Term Homelessness, today announced the Seventeenth Maxwell Awards of Excellence winners.

Four organizations received the Maxwell Award of Excellence, along with a $75,000 grant from the Fannie Mae Foundation to continue work in the field of supportive housing for homeless individuals and families.  The remaining ten organizations received honorable mentions and were each awarded a $10,000 grant.

“The Fannie Mae Foundation commends each of this year's Maxwell Awards of Excellence winners for their outstanding efforts to prevent and end homelessness.  These organizations are true leaders and we are pleased to honor them,” said Peter Beard, executive director of the Fannie Mae Foundation.

“These organizations have greatly improved the lives of homeless individuals and families through their ability to provide appropriate supportive services and permanent housing for their tenants.  They are wonderful examples of organizations committed to ending homelessness in their communities,” said Bob Hohler, executive director of the Melville Charitable Trust and executive committee chairman of the Partnership to End Long Term Homelessness.

Winners were selected by an independent advisory committee for having produced the best examples of supportive housing in four categories: Housing for Homeless Veterans; Housing for Chronically Homeless Individuals; Housing for Homeless Youth; and Housing for Homeless Families. 

The following organizations have been selected as winners and received $75,000 (click on links below or at left to learn more about each of this year's winners):

Housing for Homeless Veterans

• The Connection Fund: Legion Woods in Middleburg, Connecticut.

Housing for Chronically Homeless Individuals

• Downtown Emergency Service Center: 1811 Eastlake Project in Seattle, Washington

Housing for Homeless Youth

• La Casa Norte: Solid Ground Supportive Housing Program in Chicago, IL

Housing for Homeless Families

• Umpqua Community Action Network:  Grandview Homes in Roseburg, OR

The following organizations were chosen as runners up and received $10,000:

In the Homeless Veterans category:

• Coalition for the Hungry and Homeless of Brevard County, Inc.: Victory Village in Titusville, Florida

In the Chronically Homeless Individuals category:

• Avesta Housing Development Corporation: Logan Place in Portland, Maine
• Boley Centers, Inc.: Pinellas County Safe Haven in St. Petersburg, Florida
• Colorado Coalition for the Homeless: Renaissance at Civic Center Apartments in Denver, Colorado
• Skid Row Housing Trust: St. George Hotel in Los Angeles, California. 

In the Homeless Families category:

• Avalon Housing, Inc.: Carrot Way Apartments in Ann Arbor, Michigan
• East Liberty Development, Inc.: Sojourner House MOMS in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Mercy Housing Lakefront: Wentworth Commons in Chicago, Illinois

In the Homeless Youth category:

• Aeon Homes: St. Barnabas Apartments in Minneapolis, Minnesota 
• Common Ground: The Christopher's Foyer Program in New York, New York

About the Maxwell Awards

Created in 1988, the Fannie Mae Foundation’s Maxwell Awards program seeks to encourage and recognize the outstanding work of nonprofit organizations that develop and maintain affordable housing in urban, metropolitan, and rural communities across the country. The awards are named in honor of David O. Maxwell, who retired in 1991 after 10 years of service as chairman and chief executive officer of Fannie Mae and chairman of the board for the Fannie Mae Foundation.

About the Fannie Mae Foundation

The Fannie Mae Foundation creates affordable homeownership and housing opportunities through innovative partnerships and initiatives that build healthy, vibrant communities across the United States.

About the Partnership to End Long Term Homelessness

The Partnership to End Long Term Homelessness was created to galvanize the philanthropic leadership and dollars needed to end long-term homelessness in America. Serving as an open knowledge network for funders, the Partnership shares strategic thinking, wide-ranging experience, and expertise to prevent and address long-term homelessness.