A Note From the Chairman
Welcome to the latest edition of Victory Housing Update. Hard to believe we are already halfway
through 2013. The past year has been one of accomplishment for Victory Housing, but also one
of transition.
As you will read on Page 3, we were pleased to
welcome both Victory Oaks and Victory Square
into our portfolio of affordable rental apartments for
seniors. Victory Oaks, on the campus of St. Camillus Catholic Parish in Silver Spring, provides 49
housing units for very-low-income seniors. The bulk
of the funding was provided by the HUD Section
202 Capital Grant program, HUD’s only remaining
program that offers direct funding for the development and construction of housing for the very poor.
Unfortunately, due to budget cuts and restructuring
this will likely be the last of the HUD 202 communities we develop.
On the other hand, working closely with Bank
of America Community Development Corporation,
Victory Housing opened the 98-unit Victory Square
apartment community for mixed-income seniors
in Northeast Washington. Not only does this new
community increase our presence in the District of
Columbia, but a significant portion of the project
was financed with Federal Low-Income Housing
Tax Credits, the main funding vehicle for affordable
housing.
We have continued our successes in 2013. Victory Court, 86 apartment units for mixed-income
seniors in downtown Rockville is approximately
80 percent complete and leased. An October 24th
dedication ceremony has been scheduled with guests
including Cardinal Wuerl and County Executive
Leggett. Check out www.victorycourt.com for leasing
information and www.victoryhousing.org for updates
on the dedication event. We hope to see you there.
Victory Court, Rockville, May 2013
We have also refinanced a number of properties, including adjacent Takoma Park properties
Cambridge Apartments and Winslow House in
April. This summer, we will also be restructuring
our commercial loans on Grace House and Marian
Assisted Living and refinancing Victory Terrace
Apartments in Potomac.
In the midst of all this growth and financial restructuring, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the closing of Mary’s House, Victory Housing
first community, the one that led to our current
total of 26 with 1,857 units. Not only did Mary’s
House launch Victory Housing, but also established
our commitment to quality, affordability and resident services in all of our work. We appreciated the
opportunity to work with the St. Mary’s Parish on a
leased basis for these past 28 years and we wish them
well with the expansion of their school.
Best Regards,
Paul E. Johnson, Jr., Chairman
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Victory Housing Honor Roll
The following individuals, businesses, and groups
have generously contributed to Victory Housing, Inc.
from February 1, 2012 through May 31, 2013:
Individual Contributors
LUMINARIES ($1,000 or more)
Stephen McKenna
Dan & Stacy Tuman
PATRONS (up to $250 TO $499)
Alastair McArthur
Kathy McKinless
FRIENDS (UP TO $249)
Jon & Linda Hannam
Rev. Msgr. Ralph J. Kuehner
Kevin Madden
Margaret Webster
Business Contributors
LUMINARIES ($5,000 or more)
Bank of America Foundation
Capital One Services LLC
PATRONS ($500 TO $999)
United Bank
FRIENDS (UP to $499)
Champions ($1,000 to $4,999) Eugene M. Sullivan, M.D.
Bank of Georgetown
Foundation
St. Bernadette Catholic Church
BB & T
Boyds Presbyterian Church
Eagle Bank
Monument Bank
PNC Bank
Sandy Spring Bank
Victory Oaks Residents Are
Active and Engaged With
Neighbors, Community
Victory Housing’s newest community for seniors, 49-unit Victory Oaks at St. Camillus, has
quickly established an active inter-generational
relationship with its campus neighbor since opening
in September 2012.
In December 2012, the residents of Victory Oaks
were treated to a special performance by teenagers
from St. Camillus Catholic Church. Sister Kristin
Matthes brought 40 children ranging in age from 9
to 16 years old who volunteered to sing and dance
for Victory Oaks residents. Everyone enjoyed the
wonderful performances and the awesome treats the
children provided. Concurrently during the holiday
season, residents were having a toy drive for students
at the nearby St. Francis International School.
Victory Housing thanks each individual, business,
and group for your contribution.
Workplace Campaign Codes
The 2012 workplace charity campaigns have
begun. Please consider designating Victory
Housing as your charity of choice in the
coming year. Here are our code numbers:
• Combined Federal Campaign – 81223
• Maryland Charity Campaign – 1292
Photo credit: Stuart Zolotorow
Then, on May 18, 2013, Victory Oaks was one
of the 20 communities featured in the first annual
Parade of Homes organized by the Communications Action Network (“CAN”, www.caninitiative.org).
CAN was formed in 2012 as a metro Washington,
D.C. effort to highlight the challenges of affordable
housing availability in the region and the good work
that is being done by nonprofits and local government to make a positive difference. During the
four-hour open house, residents staged a musical
performance and had a cookout.
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Two New Communities
Open in 2012
Victory Housing was pleased to open two new
apartment communities for seniors during 2012.
In September, Victory Oaks at St. Camillus,
a 49-unit (all 1 bedroom/1 bath) affordable rental
housing community for very low-income seniors,
opened on the campus of St. Camillus Catholic
Church in Silver Spring. Victory Oaks has generous community spaces, including an arts and crafts
room, a fitness center, a library with computers, a
multipurpose community room, and an outdoor
patio. Occupancy is restricted to seniors at least 62
years old who have incomes at or below 50 percent
of area median. Rents are set at 30 percent of each
household’s adjusted income, less a utility allowance. The community was fully occupied within 30
days of opening. A dedication ceremony was held on
October 1.
In 2012, an affiliate of Victory Housing, working with Banc of America Community Development
Corporation, opened Victory Square, a 98-unit (79
one-bedroom, 19 two-bedroom) affordable senior
community located at 600 Barnes Street, NE, in the
Parkside neighborhood of Ward 7 in Washington,
DC. The site is conveniently located near Interstate
Photo credit: ELIZABETH ROLL
295, within two blocks of a public bus stop, and
within one mile of Metro’s Orange Line.
Victory Square has a total of 97 low-income
housing tax credit (“LIHTC”) units with 62 units
restricted to persons with incomes at or below 60
percent of the local area median income; 35 are
public housing units; and one management unit. All
the LIHTC units are restricted to persons 55 years
of age and older.
Victory Square
Photo credit: Stuart Zolotorow
(L-R) Paul E. Johnson, Jr., Chair, Victory Housing; Most
Reverend Martin D. Holley, Archdiocese of Washington; Reverend
Mike Johnson, St. Camillus Church; Congressman Chris Van
Hollen (D-Maryland 8th); Mary Ann Henderson, HUB Director,
HUD; Jim Brown, President, Victory Housing; Roger Berliner,
Chair, Montgomery County Council
Photo credit: ELIZABETH ROLL
A grand opening event held on July 26 attracted
a lot of local media attention. Speakers included
Bishop Barry C. Knestout of the Archdiocese of
Washington, Mayor Vincent C. Gray, Ward 7
Councilmember Yvette Alexander, and Bank of
America Regional President William Couper.
Victory Square has already won two prestigious
national awards in 2013 – Winner, Seniors Housing, Charles Edson Awards, Affordable Housing Tax
Credit Coalition, and Silver Award, Best 50+ Affordable Rental Community, National Association of
Home Builders.
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Victory Housing, Inc.
Officers
Paul E. Johnson, Jr., Chairman
James A. Brown, Jr., President
Kathleen McWilliams, Treasurer, Consultant
John D. Spencer, CPA, Vice President/Secretary
BOARD MEMBERS
Valencia Y. Camp, Department of Homeland Security
Philip J. Downey, Senior Housing Analytics
Rev. Msgr. John Enzler, Catholic Charities
Michael G. Gill, P.E., Akridge
William Gorman, Archdiocese of Washington
Reverend Mark F. Hughes, Holy Redeemer Catholic Parish
Rev. Msgr. Ralph J. Kuehner, Archdiocese of Washington
David McGarry, Jones Lang LaSalle
Stephen J. McKenna, Consultant
Barbara Pope, Foundation for Special Needs Housing
John D. Reilly, Reilly Investment Corporation
Stephanie Williams, Bozzuto Management Company
CORPORATE STAFF
James A. Brown, Jr., President
John D. Spencer, CPA, Senior Vice President
Sr. Irene F. Dunn, Vice President, Assisted Living Operations
Jacqueline R. Smedley, Director of Marketing and Management
Jeffrey B. Blackwell, Vice President, Real Estate Development
Sharon Knuth, Project Manager
Daniel Lukomsky, Asset Manager
Michelle Limeres, Controller
Jean DaCosta, CPA, Accounting Manager
Santhi D. Hewagama, Senior Accountant
Nancy L. Hsu, Senior Accountant
Sheethal Naik, Junior Accountant
Caryn Daniel, Office Manager
VICTORY HOUSING, INC. (VHI) is a private, non-profit, IRS-approved
501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. VHI’s mission is to provide affordable
housing and related social services to low- and moderate-income senior
citizens and families.
Count Me In!
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Check Enclosed
$100
Mary’s House Closes
After 28 years in operation, Mary’s House closed
its doors as of the end of April 2013. The 15-unit
assisted living residence was Victory Housing’s first
community and one of the first of its type in the
State of Maryland, opening in 1985. Mary’s House
was the recipient of the 46th Point of Light Award
from President George H.W. Bush in 1990 and its
long-time director, Mary Ellen Dougherty, was recognized as Housing Manager of the Year in 1995 by
the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Homes for
the Aging (now called LifeSpan).
Mary’s House needed to close as our wonderful
hosts at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Rockville
wished to expand a parish school on the first floor of
the building into our second floor leased space. Over
a six-month period, Mary’s House residents were
moved into other Victory Housing assisted living
communities as vacancies arose.
As part of the recent refinancing of Cambridge
Apartments, we were able to pay off a Community
Development Block Grant loan from Montgomery
County. Without the support of the County and
the City of Rockville during the initial development
stages, Mary’s House would not have been possible.
We thank all former residents, staff, parishioners
and funders for their support and enrichment of this
special community.
I want to help Victory Housing provide quality affordable housing and services
for senior citizens. Enclosed is my tax-deductible contribution of:
$250
$500
$1,000 Other
Bill My Credit Card
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VisaCard #:Exp. Date:
Name as it appears on card:
Signature:
Name:
Company:Title:
Address:
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Gift in Memory of:
Send Acknowledgement to:
Address:
Please return to: Victory Housing, Inc., 11400 Rockville Pike, Suite 505, Rockville, Maryland 20852-3022 • (301)493-6000
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