2026 IHC Award Winners
Each year, the Indiana Housing Conference recognizes outstanding individuals and organizations whose work strengthens communities and expands access to safe, quality, and affordable housing across our state. This year’s award recipients embody the innovation, compassion, and collaboration that define Indiana’s housing community.
We’re proud to celebrate the following award winners and honorees.
Excellence in Affordable Housing Awards
Senior Housing:
The Jeffersonian | Lafayette, Indiana
The Jeffersonian was developed on land generously donated years earlier by the Lafayette School Corporation, giving the team long standing site control and a strong foundation for a second phase of affordable housing next to the Historic Jeff Senior Centre.
The location and final design resulted from more than twenty years of collaboration with the surrounding neighborhood. The development team attended community meetings, hosted information sessions, and continually incorporated resident feedback—redesigning the project multiple times and adding features such as a bus pull off based on community requests. Neighborhood leaders were included in the groundbreaking and open house, and a neighborhood flag is proudly displayed in the building’s lobby.
Residents benefit from a wide range of supportive services, including financial literacy and credit counseling through Homestead, monthly fresh food distributions from Food Finders; doorstep prescription delivery from Parkside Pharmacy; and utility assistance and light housekeeping provided by Area IV.
The Jeffersonian has fully leased up since December 2025. It provided modern, spacious housing for residents who previously faced instability. The new property has strengthened service partnerships, decreased transient activity on the former parking lot, and created a cohesive campus feel alongside the Historic Jeff Senior Centre. Its proximity to downtown enhances residents’ access to restaurants, services, and daily needs.
Urban Housing:
The Elex | Fort Wayne, Indiana
The Elex takes its name from the historic Elex Club, founded in 1916 by women employed at General Electric, providing a direct link between the new community and the neighborhood’s heritage.
It is part of the second phase of the Electric Works campus in downtown Fort Wayne—one of Indiana’s most transformative urban redevelopment efforts, representing more than $286 million in investment. Located within the historic General Electric Broadway Campus, The Elex was designed so that low income households could benefit from the area’s revitalization rather than be priced out by it.
On-site amenities include a double height lobby with a fireplace lounge, flexible seating areas, co working space, a library mailroom with self serve systems, outdoor patios, an amenity rich courtyard with fire pits, outdoor TV, grilling stations, complimentary Wi Fi, and multiple spaces for resident gatherings or meetings with management.
Since opening—beginning initial move ins in 2025 and ribbon cutting in spring 2026—The Elex has added energy, foot traffic, and daily activity to the Broadway corridor. Small businesses, arts organizations, retailers, and community institutions benefit from increased neighborhood vibrancy. Even the furnishing of model units leveraged local investment, using neighborhood designers and artwork sourced from area studios.
This project redefines urban LIHTC housing, proving that affordable communities can be delivered with the same design quality, amenity access, and service coordination as premier market rate housing—and that downtown revitalization can remain inclusive, connected, and accessible to residents who might otherwise be priced out of opportunity rich areas.
Special Needs Housing:
Marvetta and Anthony Grimes Family Center | Indianapolis, Indiana
The Marvetta & Anthony Grimes Family Center—developed through a partnership among Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana (VOA), Seeds of Hope, and numerous community collaborators—was intended to fill a critical gap in family centered recovery housing. Marvetta Grimes and her personal story of losing her son Anthony during her own recovery journey, shaped the mission of ensuring families can stay together while a parent heals from substance use disorder.
The development includes 36 two and three bedroom apartments, paired with an extensive suite of services. These supports allow adults in recovery to live with their children or immediate families, reducing barriers to reunification and long term stability.
The center provides full outpatient services in partnership with local volunteers, healthcare providers, and recovery organizations. Counseling is delivered by VOA staff; Seeds of Hope conducts client screening; and a wide network of referral partners.
Through VOA’s Legacy Grimes program, 15 women and 20 children have been served, alongside additional children who regularly visit their parents. Five Department of Child Services (DCS) cases have been successfully closed, with more nearing closure—clear evidence of the program’s success in supporting reunification and family healing.
Seeds of Hope’s program inside the center has served 26 women and their families in the first year. Six participants have regained full time custody of their children; five have achieved visitation rights; and all families participate in a comprehensive curriculum of life skills and recovery focused family programming. These coordinated efforts build stronger families, safer homes, and healthier communities across Indianapolis.
Rural Housing:
Willow Creek Villas | Winamac, Indiana
Willow Creek Villas is located at the heart of daily life in Winamac, ensuring residents have seamless access to the services and amenities that support family stability. In a rural area where transportation often limits opportunity, these services assists families with meeting essential needs, staying connected to local resources, and fully participate in community life.
Willow Creek Villas pairs high quality housing with meaningful supportive services. Formal partnerships with the Community Foundation of Pulaski County and PEAK Community Services create a strong resident service network, including free before and after school childcare and a direct referral pathway for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These services ensure residents have access to resources that promote stability, independence, and long term success—particularly in a region that has long been considered a child care desert.
As the first new affordable housing development in Winamac in more than a decade—and the first of its kind in Pulaski County—Willow Creek Villas represents a transformative investment in a rural community long underserved by multifamily housing production.
The Town of Winamac’s financial support through the PILOT agreement and soft financing also played a major role in making the project financially feasible. The combined effect of careful design, strategic contractor partnerships, and meaningful municipal support ensured Willow Creek Villas delivered superior housing value while maintaining an efficient and balanced development budget.
Outstanding Resident Volunteer of the Year
Marcia Moore | Prominence Commons II | Portage, Indiana
Marcia Moore is a selfless and generous neighbor: Despite living on a limited fixed income, she regularly gives her time and resources to support fellow residents, including helping keep the community's "blessing basket" and food pantry stocked.
She creates joy and connection: she uses her creativity and crafting talents to make thoughtful, practical gifts and giveaways for holidays, community events, and resident activities— bringing positivity to those around her.
She leads by example: Marcia openly shares her personal story and demonstrates how affordable housing can provide the stability and opportunity people need to thrive, grow, and pursue their goals.
And she is always willing to serve: She consistently volunteers her time, her talents, and even her home whenever the community needs support. Her generosity-including assembling prize baskets for a resident BINGO events-has brought joy to many of her neighbors.
Indiana Affordable Housing Council Leadership Award
Sean O'Connor | DOZ, LLC
Sean O'Connor is one of the founding members of Dauby O’Connor & Zaleski, LLC (DOZ). For over 30 years, Sean's leadership guided and grew DOZ into a nationally recognized leader in the real estate arena. Sean demonstrated that hard work was required to be the best and brightest at anything you do. Success was earned – not given.
Sean is nationally known for his expertise in accounting and tax matters. Sean has consulted with many Indiana developers, and it is estimated that Sean has been involved with Indiana projects totaling over 15,000 units throughout his career.
In 2012, Sean was a leading member and original Treasurer of the Indiana Affordable Housing Council (IAHC), and since its inception, has helped grow its membership and impact on the state.
Sean also serves as Board President of Seeds of Hope, which recently completed the Marvetta and Anthony Grimes Family Center - a network of wrap-around services and housing solutions for recovering women who desperately need it.
Many believe that career success means home life suffers. Sean's leadership demonstrated that family was first. A family surrounded and deeply devoted to faith. And by leading in this manner, many in the workplace and in this industry have been positively impacted by Sean's leadership.
S.P.A.R.K. Award
Each year the Indiana Balance of State Continuum of Care presents the SPARK Award (Serving with Partners to Achieve Real Kinesis) to an agency that embodies partnerships and collaboration for the betterment of their community. This year that agency is Heading Home of South Central Indiana.
Heading Home, as they are better known, has provided much needed backbone support in Region 10, which includes Morgan, Owen, Greene, Martin, Lawrence, and Monroe counties. Whether it was pursuing funding to pay for additional case managers embedded in local agencies or facilitating an onsite 2 day training with National Alliance to End Homelessness representatives, they strive to support the direct work done in their region. They support the coalition building between organizations and the local city government in Bloomington as well as between homeless service providers and affordable housing partners all while managing their own Data Dashboard to ensure their partners have access to relevant information. Additionally, they are a key stakeholder in Bloomington's fledgling direct-to-housing initiative.
Thank you to Mary Morgan the Executive Director and your whole team for all of the dedication and hard work you do in Region 10.
IWAHN WAHNderful Woman of the Year
Our inaugural recipient, Cynthia Snider, has dedicated 33 years to the affordable housing industry.
As Managing Director, she has been involved in virtually every facet of multifamily housing, including the acquisition, development, and management of LIHTC, Rural Development, HOME, NSP, CDBG, HUD-assisted, and market-rate properties.
During her career, she has overseen the management of more than 3,000 units throughout Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Her experience spans development, compliance, financing, marketing, and property management.
But the WAHNderful Woman of the Year Award is about more than the number of years someone has worked or the number of properties she has managed, it is also about leadership and service to others.
Cynthia has served for nearly 30 years on the Board of the Affordable Housing Association of Indiana, including several terms as President. She has served nationally with the Council for Affordable and Rural Housing, including as Chair of its Best Practices–Education Committee, and has contributed her expertise to the Indiana Fair Housing Task Force and the Apartment Association of Indiana.
Her impact can also be seen in the communities and lives touched by her work.
One particularly meaningful example is The Courtyard in Fort Wayne, identified in her nomination as Indiana's first affordable housing community serving young adults aging out of foster care. The development provided stable housing and connections to services while also returning a long-blighted property to productive use.
And there is another part of her story that deserves to be shared.
Cynthia has spent more than three decades building up the affordable housing industry and the people around her—mentoring colleagues, sharing her expertise, and creating stability and opportunity for the people and communities served by affordable housing.
It is especially fitting that our first WAHNderful Woman of the Year represents the qualities we hope this award will celebrate for many years to come.