The Tennessee Housing Development Agency has released its list of nominees for the 2017 Tennessee’s Best Awards. Five NH&RA member companies are amongst the nominees: Highmark Holdings, Enfield Management, LHP, Knoxville Community Development Corporation, and Art Cate individually of Knoxville Community Development Corporation as well.

Winners in the seven award categories will be announced at the Tennessee’s Best Luncheon held Sept. 21 at the Governor’s Housing Conference in Nashville. Categories for this year’s awards include Excellence in Partnership, Best in Innovation – Programming, Best in Innovation – Finance, Remarkable Achievement – Urban, Remarkable Achievement – Rural, Housing Leadership and Housing Plus.

The Tennessee’s Best awards were created by THDA to honor outstanding individuals and organizations whose contributions on behalf of affordable housing – whether producing, designing, developing, financing or promoting housing policy – inspire others to serve Tennesseans’ housing needs.

THDA Executive Director Ralph M. Perrey said the 2017 class of nominees exemplifies the spirit of the awards.

“Once again, this group of nominees for the Tennessee’s Best awards truly exemplifies the type of good work we at THDA believe is making a real difference in the lives of families across the state,” Perrey said. “We look forward to announcing winners and commend all of those whose efforts are being recognized.”

Nominees for the 2017 Tennessee’s Best awards and their category include:

Excellence in Partnership – Tennessee Valley Coalition for the Homeless, City of Memphis’ Division of Housing & Community Development (HCD), Chattanooga Commitment to End Veterans’ Homelessness, Highmark Holdings and Enfield Management, TN Department of Human Resources (DOHR)

Best in Innovation, Programming – NeighborWorks® Alliance TennCare pilots (HomeSource East Tennessee, Affordable Housing Resources, United Housing), Dismas House

Best in Innovation, Financing – Appalachia Service Project, Columbia (Tenn.) Housing Authority/LHP

Remarkable Achievement, Urban -Envision Cayce (Nashville MDHA), Johnson City Housing Authority/Keystone Development, Knoxville Community Development Corporation.

Remarkable Achievement, Rural – Fahe, Appalachia Service Project

Housing Leadership – Art Cate (Knoxville), Don Alexander (Crossville), Martin Edwards, Jr. (Memphis)

Housing Plus – HomeSource East Tennessee

The awards are part of the annual Governor’s Housing Conference, which was created to allow housing professionals from throughout Tennessee and across the nation to network, discuss best practices and work on issues related to affordable housing.

For more information on the Governor’s Housing Conference, see TNGHC.com. Registration on site is welcome.