Janet Troutman Simmons receives Dorothy Richardson Resident Leadership Award from NeighborWorks America and Aeon

Minneapolis, Minnesota — NeighborWorks America and Aeon in Minneapolis announced yesterday that Janet Troutman Simmons is a recipient of the 2017 Dorothy Richardson Resident Leadership Award, an honor that this year recognizes six leaders from around the country for their outstanding contributions to their communities.

NeighborWorks America announced the honorees during its Community Leadership Institute, an event that strengthens the skills of local leaders.

“This year’s honorees are people who lead the way towards positive change and keep the memory of Dorothy Richardson alive through their actions,” said Jeffrey Bryson, acting chief executive officer of NeighborWorks America.

Janet demonstrated her strong leadership skills in May 2015, when her and other residents living at Como By the Lake received a letter from the building’s owner stating that the property was going to be sold to a market-rate developer. Janet fought back by rallying residents and engaging the community. Eventually, they came to Aeon, who successfully purchased the building to keep it affordable.

“To gather support, Janet pulled together Como By the Lake residents,” remembers Alan Arthur, President and CEO of Aeon. “The meeting Janet chaired was the most organized community meeting I’ve ever attended. With all her preparation, and the policymakers she got around the table, it was obvious that Janet was a leader, and is passionate about creating positive change. She continually reminded all who attended that this was not only about Como By the Lake, but about the loss of affordable homes across the country.”

The recognition was named for a Pittsburgh-based pioneer in the community-development movement who was the leading force behind the creation of the agency that eventually became NeighborWorks America.

NeighborWorks America, which creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities, supports a network of more than 240 nonprofits, located in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Aeon is a member of the NeighborWorks network.

For more information about the 2017 Dorothy Richardson Resident Leadership Awards, visit www.neighborworks.org/drawards.

About Aeon

Aeon is a responsive nonprofit developer, owner and manager of high-quality affordable apartments and townhomes which serve more than 5,000 people annually in the Twin Cities area. For more than 30 years, Aeon has been committed to helping people create homes where they feel safe and connected to the community around them. We believe that Home changes everything. For more information, visit aeonmn.orgor follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

About NeighborWorks America

For nearly 40 years, NeighborWorks America, a national, nonpartisan nonprofit, has created opportunities for people to improve their lives and strengthen their communities by providing access to homeownership and to safe and affordable rental housing. In the last five years, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $27.2 billion in reinvestment in these communities. NeighborWorks America is the nation’s leading trainer of community development and affordable housing professionals.