Bank of America Recognizes Samaritan Inns and APAH for Their Impact in Helping Homeless and Low-Income Individuals Secure Homes
Nonprofits to Receive Leadership Training and $200,000 in Unrestricted Funding
WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 22, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — The Bank of America Charitable Foundation has recognized Samaritan Inns, Inc. and the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing Inc. (APAH) as part of its Neighborhood Builder® program. The recognition awards high-performing nonprofits that have made a significant impact in the community working in the bank’s priority funding areas of housing, jobs and hunger relief. The Neighborhood Builder program is a strategic investment that pairs leadership training with a $200,000 unrestricted grant so leaders gain valuable skills while applying funding where it is most needed.
“Nonprofits provide much needed services in Greater Washington, but too often lack the opportunity to invest in their own long-term growth and development,” said Jeff Wood, Greater Washington market president, Bank of America. “We are pleased to recognize Samaritan Inns and Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing because we’ve seen the great work they’ve done to provide housing for homeless and low-income residents and know that this program will help them reach even more individuals who desperately need affordable homes.”
Samaritan Inns, a residential treatment agency that uniquely addresses the twin issues of homelessness and substance abuse, will use the funding and leadership training to help establish and support its new program, Residential Treatment of Women with Dependent Children. According to the nonprofit, since 84 percent of homeless families are female-headed, the program will provide services for women and children impacted by homelessness and substance abuse, with the goal of transitioning the family unit toward clean and sober independent living.
APAH, an affordable housing developer serving Arlington’s lowest-income residents, will use the grant to reach the next level by increasing its design and development capacity, supporting its expanded resident services program and strengthening its office systems and internal controls. The funding and leadership training will help APAH reach its goal of increasing the number of housing units it preserves and owns by at least 100 in the next year.
According to the Bridgespan Group, Neighborhood Builders is the largest investment in nonprofit leadership development – 2.5 times the size of the next largest program (in spending) and the third largest in number of leaders served. Since 2004, Bank of America has invested more than $165 million through the program, recognized over 730 nonprofits and trained nearly 1,500 nonprofit leaders. The Neighborhood Builders program is a capstone initiative building on the bank’s broader philanthropic commitment to addressing core issues that are critical to the economic vitality of local economies, with a particular focus on low and moderate income communities.
Bank of America Corporate Social Responsibility
Bank of America’s commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a strategic part of doing business globally. Our CSR efforts guide how we operate in a socially, economically, financially and environmentally responsible way around the world, to deliver for shareholders, customers, clients and employees. Our goal is to help create economically vibrant regions and communities through lending, investing and giving. By partnering with our stakeholders, we create value that empowers individuals and communities to thrive and contributes to the long-term success of our business. We have several core areas of focus for our CSR, including responsible business practices; environmental sustainability; strengthening local communities with a focus on housing, hunger and jobs; investing in global leadership development; and engaging through arts and culture. As part of these efforts, employee volunteers across the company contribute their time, passion and expertise to address issues in communities where they live and work. Learn more at www.bankofamerica.com/about and follow us on Twitter at @BofA_Community.
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Reporters May Contact:
Nicole Nastacie, Bank of America, 1.980.388.7252
