SHELTERING TREE- SHADOW LAKE APARTMENTS

Sheltering Tree- Shadow Lake Apartments in Papillion, Nebraska won a 2024 Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award in the Rural Area category.

Sheltering Tree, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization that is working to tackle the urgent need for affordable housing for adults with developmental disabilities. Sheltering Tree is dedicated to serving persons with developmental disabilities through consumer-controlled, affordable, supportive, and safe apartment communities. Their most recent development, Shadow Lake Apartments in Sarpy County, Nebraska, provides 44 homes in two single-story buildings. One-third of the homes are restricted toe households at 60 percent of the area median income (AMI) and 66 percent of homes are restricted toe households earning 50 percent of AMI. 

Tenants have access to a commons area consisting of an entrance lobby, a gathering room, dining room, kitchen, storm shelter, mechanical room, laundry room, and wellness center. There is a paved and lighted parking lot with a drive-up area located under each entrance canopy, therapeutic outdoor gardening spots, and a recreational basketball hoop area. To assist tenants in realizing long-term apartment living success, Sheltering Tree offers a community-centered program called Growth Opportunities for Apartment Living Success (GOALS). The program offers classes that teach skills using evidence-based curricula. Programming also includes a robust Activity and Enrichment program. This program is designed to combat the isolation adults with development disabilities often face, provide opportunities for meaningful belonging, and enrich lives through a variety of cultural, recreational, and educational activities.

The development represents the efforts of Sheltering Tree, Inc. and the Midwest Housing Equity Group, Inc. to preserve, improve, and increase affordable housing opportunities in Papillion, Nebraska.