Arizona Department of Housing Announces 2024 Housing Hero Award Recipients at Arizona Housing Forum
PHOENIX, AZ – The Arizona Department of Housing concluded the 2024 Arizona Housing Forum today in Fort McDowell, AZ. The Forum provides a platform for affordable housing professionals to learn, network, and connect about how to solve our current housing shortage and create and improve housing development in Arizona.
On the final day of the annual Forum, the Department presented the 2024 Housing Hero Awards, which were named in honor of the late Brian Mickelson, an original member of the Arizona Housing Finance Authority and the City Manager for the Town of Cottonwood. The awards recognize outstanding achievements in the following six categories:
- Arthur Crozier Partner in Housing: Arizona State Senator Lela Alston
Senator Alston is honored for her extraordinary leadership and advocacy on housing initiatives and solutions and for committing to a bipartisan approach, for decades in the Arizona Legislature, to get affordable housing legislation passed.
- Urban Development of the Year: Salt River Flats
Salt River Flats is recognized for this 192-unit, affordable apartment-home community in South Phoenix with many 3- and 4-bedroom homes offering rent affordability to large families. Besides below-market rents, residents enjoy exquisite amenities including a fully-furnished gym, clubhouse, community kitchen, pool, playground, business center, and picnic areas.
- Rural Development of the Year: A Home of My Own
Yavapai County Development Services is recognized for designing plans for 1, 2, and 3-bedroom single-family homes that anyone can use, free of charge, to build a home in Yavapai County. Officials say the average cost to build a 3-bedroom home, with the pre-approved design, is $150,000. So far, 63 permits have been issued and 19 homes have been completed.
- Tribal Development of the Year: Havasupai 2024 Home Build
Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona is recognized for constructing homes for the most remote tribal community in the contiguous United States. Supai Village, on the Grand Canyon floor, is only accessible by helicopter, foot, horseback or mule. 100 helicopter flights were used to support 140 volunteers, working 4,000 hours, to build two homes in 14 weeks.
- Developer Partner of the Year: Atlantic Development & Investments, Inc.
The company, and its inspiring father-daughter team, is recognized for creating high quality, family-oriented affordable housing communities like The Reserve at Thunderbird in Phoenix. In 2024, the company received HUD’s only Green Resilient Retrofit Program award in Arizona: $9 million to transform an affordable Phoenix property into a sustainable model for the future.
- Advocate of the Year: Ross Schaefer
Ross Schaefer, Executive Director for Flagstaff Shelter Services, is recognized for her dedication in providing housing services to the most vulnerable in Northern Arizona including unique programs like converting old motels into transitional housing.
Congratulations to all the winners!
About the Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH)
Established in 2002, we administer programs to create, preserve, and invest in affordable housing statewide. Rather than building and owning housing; we manage programs that convey mostly federal funding to entities who apply and meet criteria developed by state and federal law. These community partners, in turn, build and own the housing our state needs.
