On Oct. 18, 2018, Novogradac & Company named Central City Concern’s Blackburn Center the Metro Community Development Qualified Low-Income Community Investment (QLICI) of 2018. Sarah Chisolm, CCC’s chief financial officer, accepted the national award at the Novogradac 2018 New Markets Tax Credit Fall Conference in Austin, Texas.
Chisholm thanked several partners including US Bank CDC; Low Income Investment Fund; Corporation for Supportive Housing; the six local health systems who catalyzed the project with an unprecedented $21.5M investment: Kaiser, Legacy, Providence, OHSU, Adventist and CareOregon; Oregon partners Portland Housing Bureau, Multnomah County, Oregon Housing and Community Services, Oregon Health Authority and Metro; Foundation backers Meyer Memorial Trust, Oregon Community Foundation, Collins Foundation and Hearst Foundation; and the businesses and private donors who backed the Housing is Health capital campaign. “We can’t do what we do without your incredible and generous support,” Chisholm said.
The awards honor CDEs that exhibit a well-executed vision and measurable community impact as well as those that show a commitment to establishing a positive change in bringing more people and places into the economic mainstream. Award categories included small business, operating business, real estate, metro and non-metro.
Blackburn Center (25 NE 122nd Ave.) is a six-story structure that combines a health care clinic with housing. The facility extends Central City Concern’s services to give more people access to primary care, recovery and mental health services, housing, and employment assistance. The building is set to open in summer 2019. Central City Concern is the building developer and owner. The general contractor is Walsh Construction and the architect is Ankrom Moisan. The project cost is $52 million.
CCC serves about 14,000 people a year through 13 Federally Qualified Health Center sites, 1,753 housing units and an Employment Access Center for job seekers.
Novogradac & Company is a national professional organization offering cost-effective audit, tax and consulting services to a variety of companies. The Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits Community Development QLICIs of the Year Awards recognize community development entities (CDEs) that made exceptional QLICIs in the past year.
For more information about CCC, please visit centralcityconcern.org.
