[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 29330]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 TRIBUTE TO AQUINAS HOUSING CORPORATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSE E. SERRANO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 9, 1999

  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, it is with joy and pride that I rise to pay 
tribute to Aquinas Housing Corporation (AHC) which celebrated its 18th 
anniversary of providing services to the community on Wednesday, 
November 3, 1999, at the Marina Del Rey restaurant to families in need.
  Aquinas Housing Corporation was founded in 1981 by a group of 
volunteers who understood the need to provide quality transitional 
housing services to families in need.
  Mr. Speaker, over the past 18 years, Aquinas Housing Corporation has 
sponsored and developed the rehabilitation of 35 buildings, 990 
residential units, 104 cooperatives, and 115 two-and three-family 
homes. By the year 2000, AHC plans to renovate 10 more buildings with 
160 additional units for a total of 1,152 decent and affordable rental 
housing units that were nonexistent prior to AHC's creation.
  Along with housing development, AHC provides a full range of social 
services to the residents of its buildings and community at large. 
Services offered include an adult job readiness program, a computer 
learning center, a clothing bank, case management, tenant organizing, 
neighborhood improvement projects, classes in English as a second 
language, parenting skills, senior services, a home-based child care 
resource and referral center, a tree maintenance program, and 
activities and field trips for youth and seniors.
  It is a privilege for me to represent the 16th district of New York 
where Aquinas Housing Corporation is located, and I am delighted by its 
success. I have witnessed first-hand the exemplary work they are doing 
for our community and I am deeply impressed. I applaud the commitment 
and the efforts of Aquinas Housing Corporation's staff in the 
assistance they provide to the elderly, and low- and moderate-income 
families, as well as, in facilitating educational opportunities for our 
talented youth.
  I would like to especially compliment this year's honorees, St. 
Thomas Aquinas Elementary School, St. Barnabas Hospital, and the Bank 
Street College of Education Center for Family Support, for their 
leadership in improving the quality of life in our community.
  Mr. Speaker, St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary School, an institution 
which provides quality and caring instruction to the younger members of 
the community, will receive the Community Education Award, St. Barnabas 
Hospital, which offers a wide range of services at both their main 
facility and their numerous satellites throughout the borough, will 
receive the Community Health Services Award, and the Bank Street 
College of Education Center for Family Support will receive the 
Community Family Support Award.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 
Aquinas Housing Corporation and its staff and in wishing them continued 
success.

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