Fairfield Earns Honor For Innovative Housing

Fairfield Earns Honor For Innovative Housing
By Ben Antonius

FAIRFIELD - The League of California Cities announced Wednesday that it selected Fairfield as a 2007 recipient of its Helen Putnam Award for Excellence.

The city received the award in the category of Housing Programs and Innovations for the Laurel Gardens Apartments project.

The first-of-its-kind apartment complex houses mentally disabled adults and assists them with job training and placement, substance abuse treatment and other services. Laurel Gardens was a joint project between the City of Fairfield, Fairfield Housing Authority, Resources for Community Development and the nonprofit group Caminar Solano.

"Laurel Gardens fills the gap in the continuum of care services in Solano County, only made possible by a rewarding collaboration," said LCC officials in their announcement.

The league gave out 27 awards from a pool of 115 nominees across 11 categories.

It said the awards are given to recognize "outstanding cities that deliver the highest quality and level of service in the most effective manner possible."

Fairfield has won Helen Putnam awards several times in the past, most recently in 2006 for the city-sponsored Community Heroes Luncheon.

Reach Ben Antonius at 427-6977 or bantonius@dailyrepublic.net.