Beaumont Housing Authority Receives National Excellence Award for Bound for Success College Preparedness Program
The Beaumont Housing Authority (BHA) has been chosen as a winner of the prestigious National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) Awards of Excellence in Innovation in Resident/Client Services for its College Preparation Program targeting high school seniors living in low-income households served by BHA.
“High school seniors living in subsidized housing is a population that are often neglected but holds great potential,” said NAHRO President Akinola Popoola. “The BHA program exposed these youth to new ideas and surroundings, and showed them what can be achieved with education – which led to amazing results.”
The BHA Bound for Success College Preparedness Program guided 17 high school seniors through their senior year by exposing them to job opportunities, college experiences, and life skills training to prepare them for moving to young adulthood. At the conclusion of the program, the seniors were enrolled college or trade school.
“Our board and staff were truly humbled and honored to have been selected to receive this most prestigious award from National NAHRO,” said BHA Executive Director Robert L. Reyna. “With a demonstration grant from the Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs, we were able to literally change the lives of 17 great students living in our programs. Their success clearly shows that it does not matter where you begin what matters most is where you end up. These students are truly “Bound For Success.”
The Awards of Excellence are nominated from among the Award of Merit winners each year, these Awards are chosen by national juries and presented at the annual National Conference and Exhibition. They represent the very best in innovative programs in assisted housing and community development.
The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, established in 1933, is a membership organization of over 23,000 housing and community development agencies and professionals throughout the United States whose mission is to create affordable housing and safe, viable communities that enhance the quality of life for all Americans, especially those of low- and moderate-income. NAHRO’s membership administers more than 3 million housing units for 7.6 million people.
