LCCR Honors Fair Housing Advocate Patricia Rouse
Feature Story by Tyler Lewis - 4/15/2008
Patricia Rouse, co-founder of Enterprise Community Partners, will be honored by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) at this year's Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award Dinner on May 14 in Washington, D.C.
LCCR is honoring Rouse for her work in support of fair housing.
"This year is the 40th anniversary of the enactment of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, so it is appropriate that we honor a woman who has spent a lifetime working tirelessly for fair and affordable housing," said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of LCCR. "Her commitment to affordable housing for all Americans is an inspiration to all of us who want to see the promise of fair housing fulfilled."
In 1982, Rouse and her husband, developer James Rouse founded The Enterprise Foundation, which was later renamed Enterprise Community Partners. The Maryland-based organization helps low-income families find affordable and decent housing by providing financing and expertise to community and housing developers.
Through public-private partnerships, Enterprise works to create mixed-income communities, combining grants, technical expertise, low-interest loans, and equity investments with low-income housing tax credits to increase the supply of supportive housing. Supportive housing is designed to support individuals with social services such as job training, alcohol and drug abuse programs and case management.
In addition to her work with Enterprise, Rouse is on the board of directors of Jubilee Housing of Washington, DC, and the board of the Howard County Poetry and Literature Society. She is also a former board member of both the Health and Welfare Council of Maryland (serving as vice president from 1981-1983) and the National Low-Income Housing Coalition.
In 1991, President George H.W. Bush appointed Rouse to serve on the board of directors of the Commission on National and Community Service, a federal agency charged with encouraging volunteerism in the U.S.
She also served on the National Civilian Community Corps Advisory Board from 1994 to 1997; as a commissioner of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority from 1969 to 1975; and on the board of directors of the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing, the Columbia Forum and the Columbia Foundation in Columbia, Md.
LCCR's Civil Rights Award was named for former United States vice president, senator, and civil rights pioneer Hubert H. Humphrey, whose years of public service, leadership, and dedication to equal opportunity changed the face of America.
Awardees are selected based on their distinguished contributions to the advancement of civil and human rights. Previous recipients include Senator Edward Kennedy; former President William J. Clinton; Representative John Lewis; civil rights leader Julian Bond; disability rights advocate Justin Dart; the filmmakers behind the Academy Award-winning movie, Crash; and actor-activist Danny Glover, among others.
