Head of Community Corp Honored with Grant

Oliver Lukacs
Staff Writer

July 28 -- Proving that non-profit work pays, Community Corp's executive director, Joan Ling, has been awarded a $90,000 grant for her "overwhelming" contribution to affordable housing.

Ling was one of six community development leaders honored by the Fannie Mae Foundation last Tuesday in Washington D.C. with the prestigious James A. Johnson Community Fellows Award, sought by more than 100 nominees nationwide.

Ling was recognized for, among other things, spearheading Community Corp's construction of 900 affordable housing units in Santa Monica since she took the agency's helm in 1991.

"I was very happy about it. It's very competitive and it's a very prestigious award, and just to be considered is an honor. It's nice to be recognized for the work I've done in the last 20 years.

The grant, Ling said, "means I could free myself from the day to day operation to look at broader policy issues that affect affordable housing in the region and statewide."

Ling said she intends to use the award -- which includes a $20,000 educational travel and study stipend -- to take off on three one-month sabbaticals next year and work with a UCLA professor and California State Senator Sheila James Kuehl on affordable housing policies. Her work will focus on balancing the need to address the growing housing crisis with environmental concerns.

Bitten by the building bug early on -- as a child she made a doghouse for her pet and also built fences, floors, and ceilings -- Ling said she was "very happy" about the grant, which will allow her to manifest her passion for building.

"In my life I want to make a positive difference in the world," Ling said. "I could do a number of other things to make that positive difference, but I chose affordable housing because I like building things."

Building, Ling said, is her passion "because you make something that is beautiful and functional out of a pile of material, giving form and life to something that was raw material... Above and beyond building buildings it's building communities... of diversity."

Ling's trophy case also includes a "Project of the Year" from the Southern California Association for Nonprofit Housing (SCANPH) in recognition of Community Corp's Colorado Court, a 44-unit affordable housing development that uses extensive energy efficient measures, including solar panels.

In 2000, Ling also co-founded Livable Places, a nonprofit group organized to reverse the sprawling growth pattern and encourage investment in blighted and abandoned areas of Los Angeles.

In what could prove to be a poetic ending to a life dedicated to making sure other people have a place to live, the grant's remaining $70,000 will probably go towards making sure Ling has a roof over her head during her golden years.

"One of the challenges of working in a non-profit environment is you don't make a lot of money, and I don't have a pension. I need to put money away for retirement. That's something I'm considering doing."