San Antonio, Texas (April 9, 2021) – As part of National Community Development Week, the City of San Antonio is honoring the San Antonio Housing Trust (SAHT) with the Susan R. Sheeran Bridge Builder Award. This award is presented to one organization annually in honor of Ms. Sheeran’s dedication to the community and her collaborative work with individuals and organizations to enhance the quality of life for residents through housing initiatives.
This year, the City selected San Antonio Housing Trust due to the organization’s ongoing work and contribution to the COVID-19 Emergency Housing Assistance Program response. Established in 1991, the Trust has provided financial assistance for projects designed to support the City of San Antonio’s efforts to produce, preserve and protect affordable housing.
The San Antonio Housing Trust contributed a combined $6 million towards the City of San Antonio’s COVID-19 Emergency Housing Assistance program positively impacting thousands of persons facing eviction or foreclosure. The SAHT Foundation staff also worked with the City on being a vehicle for charitable and private donations on behalf of the program and helped expedite mortgage, rental, and utility assistance payments.
This year, SAHT is currently in the process of awarding up to $3 million to non-profits or social enterprises whose projects demonstrate solutions for low-income housing that supports inequitably disadvantaged populations such as the elderly, persons with physical or mental disabilities, low-income families with children, homeless, chronically ill, or other economically disadvantaged population.
“On behalf of the collective Trust Boards, it is an honor to receive the Susan R. Sheeran Bridge Builder Award,” said Pedro Alanis, Executive Director of the San Antonio Housing Trust Foundation. “Susan was a long-time mentor and a friend who believed that partnerships were the key to providing safe and dignified housing to our San Antonio community. Our team, along with so many in our affordable housing community, continue to work daily to ensure that our collaborative partnerships result in equitable revitalization of our communities. Equitable communities are critical to ensuring a stronger and more dynamic San Antonio.”
A formal presentation of the award will be made on Friday, April 16, 2021 at 1pm during the online San Antonio Housing Trust Foundation board meeting.
