The Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition Presents the Edson Award for Veterans Apartments in Hobart, Indiana

The Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition (AHTCC) announced on September 20 that Rauner Family Veterans Apartments by A Safe Haven Foundation in Hobart, Indiana, is a 2022 recipient of the Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award (Edson Award) in the Housing for Veterans of the Armed Services category. This category recognizes affordable housing and organizations that have demonstrated impactful use of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (Housing Credit). The award was presented to A Safe Haven Co-Founder Brian Rowland and KMA Companies President Devin Rowland by U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind). The event occurred during AHTCC’s fall meeting and Edson Awards ceremony in the Pavilion Room at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, located at 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.

Presented annually, the Edson Awards honor housing credit developments that strengthen communities, improve resident opportunities, and support economies in urban, suburban, and rural areas across the country.

“As rents have skyrocketed over the past year, these properties have provided sorely needed relief to their residents while improving their communities,” said AHTCC Chief Executive Officer Emily Cadik.“This year’s Edson Award winners have changed lives and neighborhoods for the better and show how much more we could gain if we further expand the program.”

The Rauner Family Veterans Apartments, owned by A Safe Haven Foundation and developed and now managed by KMA Companies, provides 75 affordable homes serving formerly homeless veterans with physical and mental disabilities. The property is in Hobart, Indiana, but it also services veterans in the surrounding areas of Crown Point and Merrillville and the nearby U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Crown Point. The 4 % Housing Credit was used to finance the property, with financing facilitated by Cinnaire.

The property works collaboratively with the nearby Veterans Affairs Medical Center to provide residents with personalized on-site and off-site supportive care. The services include voluntary case management, intensive employment assistance, life skills training, a fitness center, job placement, coaching, mentoring, and peer support groups. The property is in proximity to the Hobart area’s United States Veterans Administration office, which provides case managers, nurses, and peer support specialists to the Rauner Family Veterans Apartments residents and staff. On-site property management services overseeing property maintenance, professional security, landscaping, and resident services provided by KMA Property Management.

Since 1986, the Housing Credit has financed more than 3.6 million homes for low-income households, including formerly homeless individuals and families, people with disabilities, veterans of the armed forces, and senior citizens. Through public-private partnerships, the Housing Credit offers a proven track record of financing safe, quality, and stable affordable homes in communities where they are needed most.

“As is consistently the case, the Edson Award winners this year have demonstrated tremendous capacity and creativity in providing affordable homes to families in need in rural and urban communities, and particularly for at-risk populations including seniors, veterans, and the formerly homeless,” said AHTCC Board President and Senior Vice President for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation Matt Josephs. “Their properties help to showcase why housing credits are so impactful, and I congratulate all of the awardees on their success.”

Brian Rowland shared his gratitude for receiving this award and A Safe Haven’s commitment to creating more affordable housing for veterans.

“As the co-founder of A Safe Haven, an Army military veteran, and as the son of Bronze Star Korean War veteran Michael Rowland, I dedicated this property to my father who recently passed,” said Rowland. “As Americans, we enjoy our way of life and freedom because of the sacrifices made by the men and women who served our country. I believe that no veteran should ever be homeless. We have a long way to go, and I am committed to building more affordable housing with our partners at KMA Companies and others who share our vision and mission in the future. I am humbled and honored to accept this award on behalf of so many including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Cinnaire, Hobart Mayor Brian K. Snedecor, Bruce and Diana Rauner, Governor Eric Holcomb and so many other funders and supporters who came together to do their part to bring this project to fruition.”

US Senator Todd Young was pleased to see the benefits that affordable housing provided by A Safe Haven and KMA could make a significant difference in a homeless veteran’s life.

“The (2022 EDSON) Award goes to A Safe Haven Foundation and KMA companies for their outstanding efforts to provide housing to veterans in and around Indiana,” he said. “I’m inspired to hear how many residents have turned their lives around due to access to affordable housing. This type of housing is a huge contribution to veterans across Indiana. This property provides a clear example of how the low-income housing tax credit can meet some specific needs. Expanding the tax credit is the only way to ensure we can provide more affordable housing for our nation’s veterans. Congratulations to A Safe Haven and KMA Companies on this Award, and thank you so much for providing housing for Hoosiers who need it most.”

In his remarks, Devin Rowland, MSRE, CCIM described how both the veterans’ supportive housing projects in Hobart and Chicago guided by ASH and KMA met challenges. The results were worth the wait.

“I want to thank Senator Young for his dedication to the LITEC Program and I am very excited about the possible expansion of the 9% tax credits that would be a huge lift,” Rowland said. “It is a tremendous benefit to all municipalities and individuals in need of affordable housing. This development has 75 apartments and dedicated to veterans. We also utilized the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program. In 2016 we won 150 vouchers to build two different buildings by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. We also built another veteran supportive housing project in Chicago with these vouchers. We broke ground on both of these projects in March of 2020. Building these projects during the pandemic was very challenging, but worth it to see how many people we have helped move from living on the streets and in tents into housing has been very rewarding. There were many tears of joy seen by all involved as veterans who moved in were provided beautiful fully furnished apartments with amenities like a community room, fitness center, and beautifully landscaped outdoor gathering space along with onsite case management services provided by the VA and property management services provided on-site by KMA Companies. As the son of a military veteran Brian Rowland, and grandson of a Bronze Star Korean War veteran, Michael Rowland, veterans are important to our family. My parents, Neli and Brian Rowland, founded A Safe Haven in 1994, I am honored to continue our family’s commitment and mission of building and managing transitional, supportive, affordable, veteran, and senior housing to uplift people and communities throughout my life and professional career. Finally, there are many people to thank. I especially want to thank the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition for this incredible recognition, the ASHF Veteran Advisory Board, the local Hobart community and veteran community, and my entire team at KMA. This is a win for all of us. I look forward to continuing our mission to meet the need to build more affordable housing like this for military veterans and for more communities in the future.”

For more information about the 2022 Edson Awards, please visit taxcreditcoalition.org/edson-awards/.