Ensuring Food Security, Real Estate Recap, Holistic Health at AHC, & It's Giving Season! November 2023 15 Ways We're Ensuring Food Security Health and wellness are key tenets of Resident Services at Affordable Homes & Communities (AHC). Across the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia region, residents have access to valuable resources to help guarantee food security. Click below to learn more about how AHC, its partners, and volunteers ensure residents have access to healthy, nutritious food throughout the holiday season and beyond. Read More   REAL ESTATE RECAP Home-Building in Baltimore AHC is in the early stages of development for two homeownership initiatives in Baltimore City. The goal is to encourage the creation of generational wealth in disadvantaged communities and contribute to the revitalization of disinvested neighborhoods. We’re working with small, minority-owned development partners on both projects. One site is in Northeast Baltimore City, where we plan to build an energy-efficient community using alternative energy with net-zero energy aspirations. The second site is in Central Baltimore City. There, we plan to build new construction rowhouses with mixed-income affordability in a neighborhood well-located near transportation, arts, and employment centers. Stay tuned! Reaching Milestones at Terraces This past month, Terraces East, AHC’s newest community, celebrated two critical milestones. With the return of all the residents who were relocated during the redevelopment, the property reached full occupancy. We’re excited to have all our families back home in the Terraces community. With the conclusion of construction and final inspections, the property also converted from its higher-interest construction loan to its lower-interest mortgage with Virginia Housing. We’re grateful to the construction, asset management, finance, and development team members who collaborated to reach these important milestones. Terraces East has 77 beautiful new homes and is the first phase of AHC’s redevelopment of its Terraces community. HOLISTIC HEALTH AT AHC Support for the Whole Family Our new Strengthening Families Program with partner Edu-Futuro started at the Serrano community. This seven-session program helps parents learn nurturing skills to support, guide, and discipline their children. It provides youth with healthy guidance for the future by encouraging greater appreciation of their parents and teaching them skills to cope with peer pressure and stress. Every week, parents and youth meet in separate groups for the first hour then together as families during the second hour to practice skills, play games, and do family projects. Sessions are highly interactive and include role-playing, discussions, and learning games. We're so grateful to be able to share valuable resources with families and help them strengthen their bonds. Healing Creatively Residents at MonteVerde, a community in Baltimore for seniors and non-elderly residents with a disability, participate in art therapy classes with Art with a Heart. Residents experience many benefits, such as a greater sense of control, a reduction in depression and anxiety, and rehabilitation of physical upper-body weakness by manipulating art media. Resources for Residents  Last month at The Apex community, Resident Services held a fair to provide resources and share information on health services. A huge thank you to our many partners: Neighborhood Health, Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington, Arlington Arts, Arlington County Government Public Health Division and Department of Human Services (Public Assistance Bureau, Children's Behavioral Health Bureau, Arlington Aging and Disability Services Division, VICAP), Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC), Doorways, Anthem Healthkeepers Plus, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and Arlington County Fire Department. Mending Mind & Body in Maryland We're happy to partner with Integrity Health Services, LLC, in Maryland to deliver comprehensive mental health support onsite to residents at MonteVerde who meet the criteria for psychosocial rehabilitation. This partnership is possible thanks to the Thome Aging Well Program, which addresses persistent, ongoing health needs, mental health concerns, and high substance use through partnerships. Healthy Pets, Healthy Residents  We know that health is not just important for our residents—it’s important for their furry friends, too. Last month at Serrano, Resident Services and the Animal Welfare League of Arlington held the third Community Care Event, which served 65 pets and their families. Partners provided support for pets and residents, including veterinary services, grooming, and pet food donations. Residents also learned about community resources like nutrition and finance classes, food distributions, and vaccine clinics. Thank you to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, Arlington Community Federal Credit Union, Real Food for Kids, Arlington County Department of Human Services Public Health Division, Arlington Food Assistance Center, and Virginia Cooperative Extension. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Keeping Residents at the Heart Affordable Homes & Communities is a mission-driven organization. Recently, we reaffirmed our commitment to building equitable communities by releasing our new mission, vision, values, beliefs, and five-year strategic plan. The five-year plan outlines AHC’s ambitious goals to double its housing portfolio, reach every resident through Resident Services, develop and promote communities of opportunity, go deep into current markets by improving and deepening relationships, and address the affordable housing crisis by making housing more deeply affordable. Read More Check Out These Links See AHC in the news! WJLA-TV, 7News DC, covered our literacy program with Arlington County Police Department, Arlington County Fire Department, and the Life Enrichment Center. Watch this short video on our renewed mission. View AHC’s new mission, vision, values, and beliefs.  Read our five-year strategic plan’s goals and strategies. GET INVOLVED Volunteer with Us! AHC relies on volunteers to run food distributions. Help is needed weekly on Mondays, 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., at The Shell in Arlington. We also need volunteers to help with food distributions at Charter House in Silver Spring several times a month. For more information, please email [email protected]. It's Giving Season Residents are at the heart of all we do, thanks to friends like you. Please give generously to Affordable Homes & Communities today! Give Now We're so grateful for the continued support of our donors, partners, investors, and volunteers. Together, we are building equitable communities and centering residents in all we do. Thank you!   703-486-0626 | 2230 N Fairfax Dr. Arlington, VA 22201 www.ahcinc.org | DONATE NOW! Jobs at AHC AHC | 2230 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22201 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!