CAHEC, a community investment organization based in Raleigh, NC, and Columbia, SC, presented its annual awards on June 9 during the 2026 CAHEC Partners Conference in downtown Raleigh. The awards honor individuals and organizations whose dedication and leadership have made a meaningful impact on affordable housing and community development. This year's recipients include Valley River Apartments, Piok Chier, North Florida School of Special Education, First Bank, and Steve Rosenblatt.
The Development of the Year award was given to Valley River Apartments in Murphy, North Carolina. Completed in 2025, this 56-unit affordable housing community for families was developed by Western North Carolina Housing Partnership (WNCHP) in collaboration with FGM Development, LLC. Valley River represents CAHEC's seventh investment with WNCHP and its tenth with FGM Development. It provides critically needed affordable housing in Western North Carolina. When the development received its Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) award in 2021, it marked Cherokee County's first LIHTC award in a decade and its first new-construction LIHTC development in 26 years.
The Resident Spotlight Award went to Piok Chier, a freshman in high school living at Partridge Pointe Apartments in Louisville, KY. Through CAHEC's partnership with the local YMCA, Piok has become an integral part of resident programming, helping coordinate events and encouraging participation. He volunteers with the Chestnut Street Family YMCA Summer Camp and participates in youth development programs such as the Men of Quality program, Black Achievers Teen Senate, and The African in America soccer program. Piok also volunteers with Kentucky Refugee Ministries.
The Outstanding Community Impact award was presented to North Florida School of Special Education (NFSSE) in Jacksonville, FL. In 2019, CAHEC New Markets provided $10.25 million of NMTC allocation to NFSSE to expand its campus. NFSSE serves approximately 248 students and more than 100 post-graduates with intellectual and developmental differences (IDD) through educational, vocational, and life-skills programming. The school has a job placement rate of 56.2% among vocational training participants and operates a therapeutic equestrian center and social enterprises like Berry Good Farms. Its reverse inclusion model brings together individuals with and without disabilities.
First Bank was named Investor of the Year. Headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina, First Bank has invested over $34 million across nine CAHEC-sponsored funds over the past 15 years. The bank has grown from approximately $1 billion to over $12 billion in assets and operates over 100 branch locations in the Carolinas. First Bank has also served as a construction lender on several CAHEC-syndicated developments.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Steve Rosenblatt, who has dedicated his career to affordable housing education and compliance. Beginning in the mid-1970s, he managed a Rural Development housing portfolio and later founded Spectrum Seminars and the Rural Development STAR designation. In 1991, he founded Spectrum Compliance, which now employs nearly 40 professionals. Rosenblatt developed the C3P Section 42 training program and has trained tens of thousands of housing professionals. His contributions have left a lasting impact on the affordable housing industry nationwide.
CAHEC is a community investment organization offering housing and life-changing opportunities throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Its product areas include investing in low-income housing tax credits, historic tax credits, new markets tax credits, and renewable energy credits. For more information, visit CAHEC's website.
