| AchieveAbility was incorporated in 1981 by community leaders who
realized that families coming out of homeless shelters or substandard living conditions
need not only a healthy living environment but also intensive support to move
to permanent housing and self-sufficient living. It is the first Philadelphia
organization to provide housing in tandem with comprehensive, intensive support
services for very low income homeless families. The organization has experienced
remarkable growth, initially helping four families to currently helping over 150
families annually. Over the years, AchieveAbility has become the leader in housing
and community development in West Philadelphia. The AchieveAbility program is
recognized as a model for helping families attain permanent self-sufficiency. Since
1981 AchieveAbility has been presented with a number of awards that, most recently,
include: the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce 2004 Nonprofit Organization
of the Year, the Philadelphia Area Coalition for Responsible Investment's 2003
Investing for the Common Good Award, Community College of Philadelphia's 2003
award for Outstanding Contribution to Higher Education and United Way of Southeastern
Pennsylvania's 2003 Executive Director of the Year. AchieveAbility's Family
Self-Sufficiency Continuum, a metrics unique to AchieveAbility, has been nationally
recognized as the model way of balancing encouragement, support and accountability
for families working toward permanent self-sufficiency. | 
