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 recognize 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 went 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 represents CAHEC's seventh investment with WNCHP and its tenth with FGM Development. Valley River provides critically needed affordable housing in Western North Carolina. When it received its Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) award in 2021, it marked the first LIHTC award in Cherokee County in a decade and the first new-construction LIHTC development in 26 years.
Piok Chier, a freshman in high school living at Partridge Pointe Apartments in Louisville, KY, received the Resident Spotlight Award. Through CAHEC's partnership with the local YMCA, Piok has become integral to resident programming, helping coordinate weekly youth activities such as soccer camps and educational events. His leadership extends beyond his community as he volunteers with the Chestnut Street Family YMCA Summer Camp and participates in programs like Men of Quality, Black Achievers Teen Senate, and The African in America soccer program. He also volunteers with Kentucky Refugee Ministries.
The Outstanding Community Impact award was presented to the North Florida School of Special Education (NFSSE) in Jacksonville, FL. 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 more than 100 post-graduates, NFSSE empowers individuals with intellectual and developmental differences through educational, vocational, and life-skills programming. The school has achieved a 56.2% job placement rate among vocational training participants and operates social enterprises like Berry Good Farms. Its reverse inclusion model brings together individuals with and without disabilities, supported by a 1:6 teacher-to-student ratio.
First Bank, headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina, was named Investor of the Year. Over the past 15 years, First Bank has invested more than $34 million across nine CAHEC-sponsored funds and has also served as a construction lender on several CAHEC-syndicated developments. The bank has grown from approximately $1 billion to over $12 billion in assets and now operates more than 100 branch locations throughout the Carolinas.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Steve Rosenblatt, who has dedicated his career to affordable housing education and compliance. Starting in the mid-1970s, he managed a Rural Development housing portfolio and later founded Spectrum Seminars in 1986, establishing the Rural Development STAR designation. He developed the C3P Section 42 training program and founded Spectrum Compliance in 1991, which now employs nearly 40 professionals. Rosenblatt has trained tens of thousands of housing professionals and contributed to numerous events sponsored by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency and CAHEC.
CAHEC is a community investment organization that offers housing and life-changing opportunities through investments in low-income housing tax credits, historic tax credits, new markets tax credits, and renewable energy credits. It also provides loan programs, wellness and education initiatives, affordable housing development, and property management services. More information is available on CAHEC's website.
