Lake Worth CRA Wins National Diversity Award

LAKE WORTH, FL. -   The Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and the Lake Worth NSP2 Consortium have been recognized by the National League of Cities and the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO) at the 2013 City Cultural Diversity Awards for the remarkable Lake Worth NSP2 Consortium Affordable Housing Program. The CRA won first place in the 25,000-100,000 population category.  In total,seven cities were honored on March 11th 2013 for implementing programs that enhance and promote cultural diversity in communities. The City Cultural Diversity Awards recognize municipal programs that encourage citizen involvement and show an appreciation of cultural diversity. Cities honored for 2013 are: Fort Worth, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Lake Worth, Florida and Hermiston, Oregon. In addition, three cities were honored as runners-up: Tempe, AZ; Coral Gables, FL; and District Heights, MD.

The City Cultural Diversity Awards program was established in 1995 by the NBC-LEO to promote cultural diversity in community governance through citizen and community participation. Winning cities are selected from a pool of applicants and are grouped according to population.

In 2009, the Lake Worth NSP2 Consortium (led by the Lake Worth CRA and made up of 20 community based organizations and local companies) was awarded $23.2 million as part of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program grant authorized under the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act. These funds were used to purchase over 100 foreclosed and abandoned properties and provide rehabilitated or brand new housing to revitalize a culturally diverse area of the city.

"It is always satisfying being recognized for the hard work you do but this Award is special to us at the CRA. We strive, with our consortium partners, to reach out to those who voices may not always be heard. Our mission includes building and strengthening our diverse community," says Joan Oliva, Executive Director of the Lake Worth CRA.  "On behalf of our Board, Staff and many consortium partners we are thankful for the opportunity to provide much needed housing and jobs in our City and hope we can continue these efforts for years to come."