LINC Housing Celebrates 30 Years and Honors Three Leaders in Affordable Housing at 21st Annual Tribute Event

LONG BEACH, CA--(Marketwired - Jul 2, 2014) - LINC Housing Corporation (LINC), which celebrates 30 years of service to California communities this year, will honor three of the industry's best at the "21^st Annual Tribute to Affordable Housing Leaders" on July 10 at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif. This year's honorees are: Richard Gerwitz, managing director, Citi Community Capital; Terri Ludwig, president & CEO, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. and chair, Enterprise Community Investment, Inc.; and the Honorable Mark Ridley-Thomas, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Second District.

More than 250 development partners, lenders, city and regional leaders, and housing advocates are expected to gather to honor Gerwitz, Ludwig, and Ridley-Thomas for their leadership and commitment to creating homes for those underserved by the existing marketplace. 

"This year's honorees understand why it's important to ensure there's a supply of quality, affordable housing for all segments of our population," said Hunter L. Johnson, LINC's president and CEO. "Their commitment to affordable housing and making our communities stronger comes through loud and clear in everything they do. LINC is proud to join our partners and colleagues in honoring their work."  

Each recipient will receive the William F. McKenna Award, named after one of the founding board members of LINC and a long-time advocate for affordable housing. The evening's major sponsor is U.S. Bank. For sponsorship and ticket information, visit www.linchousing.org/tribute.  

In addition to the traditional festivities, this year's Tribute marks the official launch of "Welcome Home," LINC's fundraising initiative to raise money to furnish apartments for formerly homeless residents. The program aims to provide basic furniture and house wares for residents who arrive with very few possessions and need support to thrive independently. "As LINC increases its work to build apartments for formerly homeless Californians, we see the need to ensure we can also provide the essentials that will make their new apartments truly a 'home,' giving them a foundation for positive transformation," said Johnson. Tribute attendees are encouraged to donate enough to furnish at least five apartments.

About the Honorees
Richard Gerwitz, Managing Director, Citi Community Capital
Richard Gerwitz is co-head of Citi Community Capital, the community development lending and investing division of Citi, with more than 30 years of experience in the tax-exempt securities and real estate markets. In Gerwitz's role at Citi Community Capital, he directs the activities of the unit's affordable rental housing lending, mortgage and investment banking team, as well as its involvement with Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), New Market Tax Credits (NMTC) and other Community Reinvestment Act lending and investment activities. He is a frequent speaker at industry events, serves as the chairman of the Santa Monica Housing Commission, and is a member of the advisory boards of the Journal of Tax Credits, the New York State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFFAH), the New York Housing Conference (NYHC), and the Citizens Housing and Planning Housing Council (CHPC).

Terri Ludwig, President & CEO, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.
& Chair, Enterprise Community Investment, Inc.
Terri Ludwig is president and chief executive officer of Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., a national nonprofit provider of development capital and expertise to create affordable homes and rebuild communities. Enterprise has pioneered neighborhood solutions through public-private partnerships and invested more than $11 billion to create nearly 300,000 affordable homes. Ludwig is chair of the Enterprise Community Investment Board of Directors, chair of the Board of Directors of Enterprise Community Loan Fund and serves as a member of the Enterprise Community Partners Board of Trustees. With 23 years of experience in investment banking and nonprofit leadership, Ludwig joined Enterprise in 2009 as executive vice president and chief operating officer. She began her tenure as president and CEO in January 2011. Ludwig was a Presidential appointee to the U.S. Department of the Treasury Advisory Board for Community Development and Financial Institutions and currently serves on the New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation Board of Directors. She serves on numerous executive and advisory boards and was selected for the Social Innovation Fellowship for Nonprofit Leaders at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the David Rockefeller Fellows Program.

Honorable Mark Ridley-Thomas, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Second District
Since he was overwhelmingly elected in November 2008 and reelected in June 2012 to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Mark Ridley-Thomas has distinguished himself as an aggressive advocate for the Second District's nearly 2 million residents. He has promoted the district's interests on a variety of fronts, including transportation, housing, job creation, retention and local hiring. In the area of health policy, Supervisor Ridley-Thomas has overseen the construction of a new Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, as well as a network of cutting edge healthcare facilities throughout the district; he has facilitated the use of technology and encouraged an integrated approach to wellness that includes mental health care and a prominent role for school-based clinics. His advocacy has helped secure an equitable share of funding for public-private partnership health clinics in underserved areas.

About LINC Housing Corporation
LINC Housing, one of California's most productive nonprofit developers of affordable housing, has helped create more than 7,500 homes in 73 communities throughout the state. The organization's properties are known for excellent design, outstanding management and life-enhancing services for its residents. LINC has more than 30 years of service to families, seniors, and local governments helping to create sustainable communities via new construction, acquisition and rehabilitation, and historic preservation. Visit www.linchousing.org for more information.