F I F T E E N T H ALETHEIA HOUSE A N N I V E R S A R Y Birmingham, Alabama 2 0 0 4 Aletheia House, one of Alabama’s leading substance abuse programs, got into the housing development business 10 years ago because homeless graduates of its residential treatment program needed housing. Avondale Gardens is the organization’s first project that is not limited to serving residents with special needs, although at least 15 percent of the homes at Avondale Gardens are set aside for formerly homeless people who are recovering from mental illness or substance abuse. Formerly homeless tenants qualify for rent subsidies through the Shelter Plus Care System, a U.S. Department of C E L E B R A T I N G E X C E L L E N C E I N Housing and Urban Development–sponsored program for persons living with disabilities. The remaining units are available to residents with incomes of up to 60 percent of the area median income. The scattered-site development uses two types of architecture: larger buildings of one-bedroom units on a busy four-lane road; and a duplex, a quadruplex, and six triplexes that look like single-family homes on a quiet residential street. Aletheia House hired a design consultant, in addition to the architect, to ensure that the design of the project was appropriate and attractive to the existing neighborhood. The high-quality design helped turn neighborhood opponents of affordable homes into advocates and has drawn the attention of private developers to the Avondale neighborhood. Avondale Gardens used low-income tax credits that were syndicated by the Enterprise Social Investment Corporation, debt provided by the Alabama Multifamily Loan Consortium and Amsouth Bank, and grants from the City of Birmingham and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta. Aletheia House and its co-developer, the Charter Companies of Auburn, Ala., also invested a percentage of their developer fees in the project. Building on the success of Avondale Gardens, Aletheia House hopes to spin off a subsidiary to continue developing homes that working families can afford. Through persistence and skilled leadership, Aletheia House has shown the way to provide high-quality rental homes in a challenging environment. A F F O R D A B L E H O U S I N G A W A R D E E Built on patiently assembled parcels of vacant or abandoned land, Avondale Gardens both blends into and lifts its surroundings. Set in a historic but struggling inner-city neighborhood, Avondale Gardens brings 64 attractive one-, two-, and three-bedroom rental units to a metropolitan area with a critical shortage of affordable homes. R E N T A L AVONDALE GARDENS A F F O R D A B L E Fa n n i e Ma e Fo u n d a t i o n A W A R D E E R E N T A L A F F O R D A B L E ALETHEIA HOUSE IN 1988, TO COMMEMORATE FANNIE MAE’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY, the Fannie Mae Foundation announced the Awards of Excellence S P O N S O R I N G O R G A N I Z AT I O N Program, which seeks to encourage Aletheia House focuses on empowering Birmingham’s poor, especially those who struggle with addiction. Its programs include substance abuse treatment and prevention, employment and training, transitional and permanent homes, and transportation. and recognize nonprofit organiza- Each year, Aletheia House gets more than 5,000 calls from low-income individuals seeking substance abuse treatment. It operates a 66-bed residential substance abuse treatment program for men and a 32-bed treatment program for women, including women who are pregnant or postpartum. The organization is the Birmingham area’s largest provider of transitional homes, with 175 units for individuals and 33 units for families. The employment and training program offers job readiness training, job placement help, and job retention/promotion services for recovering substance abusers and ex-prisoners. FUNDING FOR AV O N D A L E G A R D E N S • • • • • Low-Income Housing Tax Credits syndicated by the Enterprise Social Investment Corporation Amsouth Bank construction funding Alabama Multifamily Loan Consortium debt City of Birmingham grant Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta grant tions working to develop and maintain housing for low-income Americans. The program also is intended to encourage more corporations and foundations to be involved as funding and investment partners. The Awards were renamed • • Deferred developer fees Housing Enterprise of Central Alabama permanent financing 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 the ALETHEIA HOUSE’S OTHER Fannie Mae Foundation. ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY • • • Aletheia House offers culinary arts training for addicted homeless veterans and clerical training for mothers who have lost custody of their children because of drug addiction. The organization provides daily transportation for more than 150 lowincome workers. Aletheia House runs a free summer day camp for children living in government-subsidized homes that teaches positive alternatives to substance abuse and violence. OF THE MAXWELL AWARDS PROGRAM, the Foundation is awarding $50,000 to each selected nonprofit organization. THE FANNIE MAE FOUNDATION creates affordable homeownership and housing opportunities through innovative partnerships and initiatives that build healthy, vibrant communities across the United States. The Foundation is specially committed to improving the BOARD LEADERSHIP quality of life for the people of its President: Rena Ramsey, Amsouth Bank Immediate Past President: Victoria Poole Moore, health care consultant Vice President: Chris Kramer, Brasfield & Gorrie Construction Treasurer: Scott Colson, City of Birmingham Office of the Mayor Secretary: Hon. Quitman Mitchell, former mayor of the City of Bessemer hometown, Washington, D.C., and to enhancing the livability of the city’s neighborhoods. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization whose sole source of support is Fannie Mae, and has regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Pasadena, and Philadelphia. S TA F F L E A D E R S H I P Executive Director: Chris Retan C O N TA C T I N F O R M AT I O N Aletheia House P.O. Box 1514 Birmingham, AL 35204 Phone: (205) 324-6502 Fax: (205) 324-7810 E-mail: Chris_Retan@yahoo.com 4000 Wisconsin Avenue, NW North Tower, Suite One Washington, DC 20016-2804 (202) 274-8000 www.fanniemaefoundation.org www.knowledgeplex.org