The Community Affordable Housing Equity Corporation (CAHEC) presented its 2026 awards during the annual Partners Conference Awards Luncheon on June 9 in downtown Raleigh, honoring individuals and organizations that have made significant impacts on affordable housing and community development.
Development of the Year was awarded to Valley River Apartments, a 56-unit affordable housing community in Murphy, North Carolina, completed in 2025. Developed by Western North Carolina Housing Partnership (WNCHP) in collaboration with FGM Development, LLC, the project marked a milestone for Cherokee County as its first Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) award in a decade and the first new-construction LIHTC development in 26 years. CAHEC noted its longstanding relationships with both organizations, with Valley River representing its seventh investment with WNCHP and tenth with FGM Development.
The Resident Spotlight Award went to Piok Chier, a freshman in high school living at Partridge Pointe Apartments in Louisville, Kentucky. Through CAHEC's partnership with the local YMCA, Piok has become integral to resident programming, helping coordinate events like soccer camps and educational activities. His leadership extends to volunteering with the Chestnut Street Family YMCA Summer Camp and participating in youth development programs such as Men of Quality, Black Achievers Teen Senate, and The African in America soccer program. He also volunteers with Kentucky Refugee Ministries.
CAHEC recognized the North Florida School of Special Education (NFSSE) in Jacksonville, Florida, with the Outstanding Community Impact Award. In 2019, CAHEC New Markets provided $10.25 million in New Markets Tax Credit allocation to expand NFSSE's campus. Serving approximately 248 students and over 100 post-graduates with intellectual and developmental differences, NFSSE emphasizes vocational training and life-skills education, achieving a 56.2% job placement rate. Its social enterprises, including Berry Good Farms, and a therapeutic equestrian center support its reverse inclusion model, which integrates individuals with and without disabilities.
First Bank, headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina, received the Investor of the Year Award. Over 15 years, the bank has invested more than $34 million across nine CAHEC-sponsored funds and served as a construction lender on several CAHEC-syndicated developments. First Bank has grown from about $1 billion in assets to over $12 billion, operating more than 100 branches in the Carolinas.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Steve Rosenblatt, who has dedicated his career to affordable housing education and compliance. He founded Spectrum Seminars in 1986, creating the Rural Development STAR designation, and later developed the C3P Section 42 training program. In 1991, he founded Spectrum Compliance, which now employs nearly 40 professionals and is known for tenant file reviews and compliance auditing. Rosenblatt has trained tens of thousands of housing professionals and contributed to numerous industry events.
CAHEC, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Columbia, South Carolina, is a community investment organization that invests in low-income housing tax credits, historic tax credits, new markets tax credits, and renewable energy credits, also offering loan programs, wellness initiatives, and property management services. More information is available on CAHEC's website.
