Awards and Recognitions

Community Services Division is very proud of the local, regional and national recognition it has received for its programs and services over the years. Several CSD staff members have leadership roles in national or regional organizations working to further the goals of housing and community development, work training, and other important services.

YouthSource (2008) – Received the Recognition of Excellence Award for “connecting America’s youth to the workforce” from the U.S. Department of Labor, presented at the national 2008 Workforce Innovations Conference in New Orleans. CSD’s YouthSource program is among the best in the nation.

King County Jobs Initiative (2008) – Received a Brownfields Job Training Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – one of only 13 communities nationally to receive an award. The grant creates job training and employment opportunities for low-income participants in the Jobs Initiative program. KCJI’s Brownfields Training Program has been rated as one the best programs in the country by the EPA and has often assisted other pilot sites in curriculum development and consultation for beginning new programs.

Greenbrier Heights (2006) – Received the Washington State Governor's Legacy of Livable Communities Award presented by Governor Christine Gregoire for the innovative Greenbrier Heights project in Woodinville.

Greenbrier Heights (2006) – Received a Community Housing Recognition Award from A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH).

National Woodson Affordable Communities Award (2005) – King County was one of 14 local governments, and the only county in the nation, chosen to receive one of the first annual Robert L. Woodson Jr. Affordable Communities Awards presented by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in recognition of the county’s ongoing work and leadership in reducing regulatory barriers to affordable housing development. Read more

WorkSource Renton (2004) – Received the “One-Stop of the Year Award” from the International Association of Workforce Professionals in recognition for exceptional services, particularly for assisting those with developmental disabilities.

Greenbrier Heights (2004) - Received a 2020 Vision Award from the Puget Sound Regional Council for excellence in growth management planning. The Greenbrier Heights project illustrates the benefits of King County’s innovative policy to prioritize the use of county surplus property for affordable housing.

Greenbrier Heights (2004) – Received national recognition from the National Association for County Community and Economic Development (NACCED), an affiliate of the National Association of Counties (NACo), for innovation in housing.

Dislocated Worker Program (2004) – Received the Governor's Award for Workforce Best Practices for its partnership efforts in the Airport Screeners Project.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award (2003) – Awarded to Sadikifu Akina-James (CSD Director at the time) and Cheryl Markham (Affordable Housing Coordinator at the time; now Housing and Community Development Program Manager) for their extraordinary efforts throughout 2003 to prevent the closure of a nursing home in Seattle’s Central Area that was very important to the African American community.

Village at Overlake Station (2002) – Received the Meritorious Achievement Award from the National Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies (NALHFA) for the transit-oriented development built in Redmond, in recognition for addressing the region’s affordable housing and growth management goals

Veterans Incarcerated Project (1999) – Received the Governor’s Quality Initiative Award presented by Governor Gary Locke in recognition for exemplary achievement toward improving the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of public services. In 2008, this project was chosen as one of the top 20 notable projects in preventing and reducing homelessness by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.