Last night, May 30, 2012, I had the opportunity to attend the fifth annual Faces of Affordable Housing Banquet fundraiser for Housing Development Corporation MidAtlantic (HDC). Having worked in the affordable housing industry for almost 16 years, affordable housing has come to have a special place in my heart.

I enjoy hearing success stories about how affordable housing has made a difference in residents’ lives. Last night HDC highlighted 3 residents and how affordable housing has made a difference in their lives. One resident is a long-time resident of HDC’s Highspire School Apartments and she talked about how pleased she is that her apartment allows her a good quality of life and some extra income to be able to go out to eat and participate in activities with the other residents. A second resident highlighted is a mother with three children who has resided in HDC’s Oak Bottom Village for the past seven years. This young mother spoke about how the affordable rent allows her to pay for her children’s medical expenses. She also stressed the importance of safety and commented that the development has 3 playgrounds as well as speed bumps so there aren’t vehicles speeding through the neighborhood. The final resident highlighted last evening is a 4-year resident of HDC’s Ruoff Tower. This resident commented that she wished she’d moved there years earlier, how easy it is for her to maneuver her wheelchair through the apartment, and how the other residents are like family to her.  “Meeting” these residents and having heard the stories of other residents through the years at past HDC banquets, makes me glad to be part of the affordable housing industry.