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UCP [of Los Angeles] Recognized for Property Management 7/19/00

July 19, 2000
UCP of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties

Southern California's largest provider of housing for individuals with disabilities, United Cerebral Palsy, has been recognized as one of the country's top managers of federally subsidized housing.

The federal Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) recently used its quantifiable criteria system to evaluate and compare various developers and managers of housing around the country. Six sites operated by United Cerebral Palsy serving Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties scored between 97 percent and 99 percent based on HUD's objective criteria.

The housing sites singled out for HUD's list of "high performing properties" from among thousands of sites nationwide are located in Greater Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, Culver City, Torrance, Sylmar and Thousand Oaks.

UCP has been invited to Washington, D.C., later this month to be recognized by HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo for the achievements at these properties. "Privately owned housing is working throughout the country due to the hard work of owners such as UCP and the increased involvement of residents in their communities," William C. Apgar, assistant secretary for housing, said in announcing the July 31 ceremony.

UCP Executive Director Ronald Cohen explained that HUD gives grants to the charity for development of housing for developmentally disabled adults to live as independently as possible, and those funds are matched by private donations from individual donors, foundations and corporations throughout L.A.

The recognition is timely in that UCP opened a new, state-of-the-art architectural complex for adults with disabilities in North Hollywood just last week. UCP is also now in the works with four additional, similar affordable-housing apartment complexes in Santa Monica, Pasadena, Stanton in Orange County, and Goleta in Santa Barbara County. The fully accessible units allow the tenants to have their own place, most of them for the first time, and live a free and dignified life with federal and state assistance for which UCP serves as the clearinghouse and service coordinator.

"Without UCP, I wouldn't be able to be on my own," said tenant Garry Williams, 35, who is making the transition from a group home to his own apartment. "They help disabled adults through their daily lives and support them in every way. I want to thank them for making my dreams come true."

For more information: (310) 664-0704

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