Alfred Davis

Alfred Davis, director of elderly and disabled services for the Boston Housing Authority (BHA), recently received the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s 2007 Community Health Leaders Award in recognition of his dedication to helping seniors move toward a healthier lifestyle.

One of 10 recipients honored at an event held last month in Washington, D.C., Davis received $105,000 to further the work of his program, as well as a $20,000 personal award.

“Alfred Davis is one of those gems among human beings who toils quietly and effectively in a large bureaucracy expecting little recognition for his work,” wrote the BHA in a statement. “A strong and genial man, he is admired and is a favorite of elderly and disabled Bostonians who live in the public housing properties his program supports.”

A leader in Boston’s public housing arena, Davis and his BHA team work to assist seniors — especially low-income minority citizens — in maintaining a level of activity, physical strength, energy, health and fitness as they grow older. As a result of his efforts, elderly and disabled residents living in Boston’s public housing have access to high-quality health and wellness programs more frequently associated with their privileged peers. In addition, the team’s multilingual staff uses a broad array of programs, including aerobic exercise classes and bowling, to attract residents of many interests, ages and abilities.

Despite limited resources, Davis’ big-picture vision has helped build partnerships, inspired admiration from academic institutions and organizations, and brought agencies across the country to visit and tour his programs. He has trained non-clinical BHA staff to identify signs of mental health issues, started food distribution programs at 15 sites and administered supportive social services to grandparents with custody of their grandchildren.

“Al’s work is an example of the many efforts underway in communities throughout the nation to take action to address their own problems by creating new approaches and solutions, and demanding changes in outdated systems and institutions,” said Community Health Leaders Director Janice Ford Griffin.