2010 HUD Secretary's Opportunity and Empowerment Award Winner

The Department of Housing and Urban Development, partnered with the American Planning Association to present the 2010 HUD Secretary's Opportunity and Empowerment Award to Enterprise Green Communities of Columbia, Maryland. Enterprise Green Communities is recognized for its excellence in planning that has led to measurable results in terms of increased economic benefits, employment, education, and housing choice or mobility for low- and moderate-income residents.

Enterprise Green Communities, founded by Enterprise Community Partners, is a national green building program focused entirely on affordable housing. It provides financing, funding, and expertise to enable developers to build or rehabilitate homes that are environmentally sustainable without compromising affordability. The initiative offers a roadmap for achieving significant health, economic, and environmental benefits for residents through cost-effective green design methods and materials.

Since 2004, Enterprise has invested $700 million to create 15,800 green affordable homes in 350 developments in 30 states. Enterprise has also trained 4,000 housing professionals in green affordable development and advised more than 20 states and cities about environmentally sustainable affordable housing policies. Seven state and local green building laws and housing plans now incorporate the Enterprise Green Communities criteria.