Sarpy County apartment project gets national recognition from affordable housing coalition

Residents of Sheltering Tree apartments have access to on-site activities and amenities such as outdoor gardening spots. (Courtesy of Sheltering Tree)

LINCOLN — A Sarpy County apartment complex has won national recognition as an outstanding project developed with help from low-income housing tax credits.

The Sheltering Tree apartments in the Shadow Lake area of Papillion was among 10 housing developments in the country to receive a Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award from the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition (AHTCC).

Members of Congress presented the awards this week in Washington D.C.

The Sheltering Tree apartments won in the rural category for 2024. The recognition cited efforts of the nonprofit Sheltering Tree, Inc. and investing partner Midwest Housing Equity Group.

The $12.1 million development was boosted by about $9.2 million in funding from federal and state low-income housing tax credits. In Nebraska, the tax credit programs are administered by the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority.

NIFA awards credits to housing projects on a competitive basis. The developer of the project joins with an investment partner who gets a reduction in tax liability in exchange for funds to develop the affordable housing.

Sheltering Tree, which won credits for the Papillion project in 2022 and held a grand opening in December, works to tackle growing demand for affordable housing for adults with developmental disabilities. The organization is building its fourth such apartment campus to own and operate in the Omaha metro area.

Denise Gehringer, executive director, said the need is reaching a crisis level. She said in the Omaha metro alone there are about 10,800 adults with autism and other developmental disabilities living with caregivers over the age of 60.

The Papillion apartments provide 44 homes in two single-story buildings restricted to households earning typically no more than 50% or 60% of the median income in an area, the coalition said.

Tenants have access to commons areas and on-site activities, a laundry room, wellness center, outdoor gardening spots and a recreational basketball area. Sheltering Tree offers a program called Growth Opportunities for Apartment Living Success (GOALS) and another designed to combat the isolation sometimes faced by adults with developmental disabilities.

Developments recognized during the 30th annual Edson awards event Tuesday were built or rehabbed with assistance of tax credits. The AHTCC said they stood out in the way they strengthened communities, improved resident opportunities and supported economies.

The AHTCC is a trade association of housing professionals advocating for affordable rental housing financed with tax credits. It says its members have financed or developed more than half of all affordable housing nationwide.

The last time a Nebraska project received an Edson award, according to coalition records, was in 2020. Victory Park Veteran Residence in Lincoln won in the veterans category.

Charles L. Edson is described by the coalition as an affordable housing advocate who worked for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under President Jimmy Carter.

Midwest Housing Equity Group nominated the Sheltering Tree development.

NIFA executive director Shannon Harner lauded Nebraska’s latest winner of the “prestigious” award.

“The Shadow Lake Apartments project addresses a critical need — affordable housing for persons with developmental disabilities,” she said. “We are proud to partner with Sheltering Tree in making The Good Life better for all Nebraskans.”

Other 2024 honorees were in California (Anaheim and North Fork); Colorado (Breckenridge); Illinois (Chicago); New York (Bronx); Ohio (Cincinnati and Columbus); Virginia (Winchester) and Washington (Bellingham).

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