New Year, New Name, Top Stories of 2023, Behind-the-Scenes Tour, & Get Involved! January 2024 E-Newsletter New Year, New Name We’re starting the new year off by refreshing our e-newsletter. After launching our new brand and strategic plan, we wanted to give this publication a new name that better reflects our goals. We are now calling this newsletter “Connect.” The name aligns with our “Authenticity in Action” value of building genuine connections. We appreciate you connecting with us!   Top 10 Stories of 2023 Last year was full of exciting milestones for Affordable Homes & Communities (AHC). Thank you to all of AHC's amazing partners, donors, volunteers, and staff members for helping make all of them possible. Read on to check out the top 10 stories from 2023. Check Out 2023's Top 10 Stories   REAL ESTATE RECAP Take Virtual Tour of The Westerly Take a behind-the-scenes look at our tour of The Westerly, AHC's newest mixed-income and mixed-use community in D.C. Our staff and board members visited the new 449-apartment building last month with our partners at Hoffman & Associates. We walked through the completed common spaces, gym, outdoor courtyard, and affordable apartment homes. We also sported hard hats to view a few areas still under construction. The Westerly welcomed its first five families into the building’s affordable apartments last week. The onsite team is working hard to lease up the remaining 131 affordble homes, but this is an exciting milestone for these first families and for AHC. Take a Virtual Tour AHC on the Radio “Marketplace Morning Report” recently featured Affordable Homes & Communities in a story about the effects of rising insurance rates on affordable housing. “Marketplace” reporter Nancy Marshall-Genzer spoke with Paul Bernard, AHC President & CEO (and co-chair of the Housing Partnership Insurance Exchange in the Housing Partnership Network), and toured The Terraces at Arlington View with AHC's Joshua Childs and Ken Crawford. She also spoke with a resident of the community. We’re glad to be part of such an important story to help raise awareness of this issue. Listen and read here.   NEWS NUGGETS Creative Community Check out this amazing mural by Baltimore artist LaTosha Maddox on the side of our Barclay Greenmount community. The mural was a part of BRUSH Mural Fest 2023, a festival dedicated to the Baltimore community and Baltimore's professional and emerging artists. LaTosha Maddox showcased what Baltimore means to her in this piece and mentored Rising Star Catherine Mapp through the process. The mural is located in the Station North Arts District. Paul Lends a HAND We are excited to share that Paul Bernard, AHC President & CEO, joined the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND) Board of Directors. HAND is a membership collective of nonprofits dedicated to creating and maintaining affordable housing across the Baltimore, Washington, DC, and Richmond regions. We look forward to seeing the work he is able to do in this role! Cinematic Fun Thank you to the Greenmount West Community Center (GWCC) for taking our residents to see “The Color Purple” at The Charles Theatre! After the film, GWCC hosted a sister chat to dive deeper into the movie's themes and key takeaways. It was a great experience for our residents. Pet Owners' Paradise Last month, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington hosted a workshop for pet owners at our Serrano community. Our residents learned more about local resources for their pets, such as the spay/neuter voucher program, the pet pantry, low-cost vaccine and microchip programs, and affordable and emergency vet care services. Residents also received pet care packages for attending the workshop. Thank you, Animal Welfare League of Arlington, for sharing these valuable resources with our residents and their furry friends! Celebrating Residents We're so proud of the work the Women's Empowerment group did in 2023. Participants who completed the group’s workshops received a certificate of completion and a stipend at a year-end celebration. Great job to our residents! GET INVOLVED Dr. King's Legacy Monday was MLK Day of Service, a day of giving in honor of Dr. King and his legacy. Thanks to Volunteer Arlington and the Arlington Rotary Club, we had more than 200 volunteers make 138 blankets for kids in our Afterschool program. Six people attended a Listen & Learn on affordable housing hosted by the Alliance for Housing Solutions, Affordable Homes & Communities, and the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing. More than 120 people made 2,500+ snack bags for AHC residents. Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s MLK Day of Service! Want to Give Your Time? We need volunteers to assist with a basic computer skills class for our residents at The Terraces at Arlington View. The class is on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and runs through February 22. Email [email protected] to volunteer or for more information. Thank you to our donors who ended 2023 with us by supporting the Holiday Fund Drive. Your generosity makes a big difference in the lives of our residents. Let’s keep a good thing going! Continued contributions help ensure education programs for young people, emergency groceries for a family, wellness workshops for seniors, and so much more. 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