NeighborWorks News

Homebuyer Education Critical, Especially in Rural Communities

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:56:00 +0000

This blog is reposted from CFED's website. Erica Bradley works with the NeighborWorks America Rural Initiative.

For years, community development professionals were advocates for financial education. Not many lenders, and certainly not customers, took financial education seriously, until the housing bubble burst in 2008. In rural markets, homebuyers typically do not have the same access to services, like homebuyer education. For many rural organizations, expanding their services to include online financial education courses has allowed them to reach more customers.

Tammy Hyman, homeownership program administrator at PathStone, always knew how important homeownership counseling is. PathStone, she said, had offered it since the late ‘90’s. “If they would have done (homeownership counseling) back then, we wouldn’t be having these issues now,” she said of the lenders.

PathStone, which is headquartered in Rochester, serves New York, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and parts of Puerto Rico. Many of the markets they serve are rural, and homeownership counseling is offered in Indiana, New York and Pennsylvania.

Hyman said clients have the option of taking an in-person training, which consists of an eight-hour course, or they can take an online course from eHome America. eHome America is a certified provider of online homebuyer education.

For the in-person class, the requirement is an eight- to ten-hour day. Hyman said she tries to include guest speakers, such as real estate agents or lenders. The course is held every other month or sometimes quarterly, depending on the demand for it. Hyman estimates there are 8-18 students in each class.
If the client chooses to take the online course, Hyman said, a staff person schedules a one-on-one call to discuss the course material and answer any questions the client has. Hyman said the benefit to the eHome course is it allows people to take the course at a convenient time for them.
Like PathStone, Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) of Richland County also offers an in-person homebuyer education course as well as the eHome course. NHS of Richland County covers several counties in Southwest Wisconsin, including an area where homebuyer education was not offered.

Linda Smith, NHS of Richland County homeownership center coordinator, said they offer in-person courses, and they attempted to offer distance learning classes. The distance courses were broadcast from the main Richland Center site to remote sites, typically high school classrooms, in neighboring counties. Smith said because broadcasting the course was too staff-intensive, and there were technology problems, the remote course was cancelled. They are now using eHome America for their customers who cannot attend the course in Richland Center, which has gotten a great response. “eHome, because we are rural, is a good fit. It fits the needs for many of our households, especially the younger households who cannot attend classes at night or on the weekends,” she said.

Like PathStone, NHS requires customers who have taken the eHome course to have a phone conference with a staff person.

Gary Throckmorton, eHome senior executive vice president, said eHome’s model is a network of local agencies. “We want the customer to be connected to a local agency. Follow-up is key,” he said. eHome has had steady growth, he said, and approximately 250 agencies are registered with over 36,000 clients served since 2009. Throckmorton expects growth to continue, especially since online education has become more accepted. eHome is currently offered in English and Spanish, but Throckmorton said adding additional languages would be considered if there was a demand.

eHome America was started in May 2009 by Community Ventures Corporation (CVC), a Kentucky-based non-profit. It is endorsed by NeighborWorks America.

NeighborWorks D.C. Headquarters Move Information

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:00:00 +0000

By Alexandra Chaikin,
Online Media Project Manager

Due to the move of our D.C. headquarters, we anticipate many websites and all email will be unavailable from May 22 at 5 p.m. EDT until May 28 at 10 a.m. EDT.

Most pages of nw.org will remain live except for a brief period the morning of May 23. Some links on nw.org may not work (examples: training registration, jobs board, affiliate and counselor directories).

Please check back at this URL for more information.I update this blog post whenever I receive news.

If you are sending any physical mail to the D.C. office, fear not. All mail will be forwarded to our new address for several months. In fact, we'd prefer you use the current D.C. address until May 28. The new address will be 999 Capitol Street N.E., Suite 900, Washington, D.C. 20002.

During the blackout, I'll be managing our Facebook and Twitter channels so you will be able to ask questions and get help that way. We are investigating the situation with D.C. telephones.We'll keep you posted. We anticipate phone services to our field offices will be unaffected, though their email will be down as part of the network blackout.

If you need to contact one of our field offices, use this phone directory on Google docs.

Thank you for your support and understanding!

NeighborWorks Rochester Expands Healthy Blocks Approach

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:00:00 +0000

By Ascala Sisk, Senior Manager
Neighborhood Stabilization
NeighborWorks America

Reposted from StableCommunities.org

NeighborWorks Rochester has partnered with residents in three neighborhoods to make exterior home improvements, address quality of life issues, and attract new residents and investment. Through this targeted “Healthy Blocks” approach, homeowners, tenants and landlords work together to create neighborhoods of value and choice.

After eight years of sponsoring “Makeover Madness” home beautification campaigns, organizing social events, planting gardens, sponsoring neighborhood clean-ups, and promoting new neighborhood branding, the Healthy Blocks approach has proven to be successful in improving physical conditions, creating pride, and fostering a community identity. For example, in “The Pocket,” a 7-block neighborhood of 750 residents in the East Main–Atlantic area, NeighborWorks Rochester has observed that physical conditions are improving, the average sales price is up 20 percent since 2008, and homes on the market sell in an average of 18 days as compared to 27 days in 2008 — all signs of a rebounding housing market.

Building on this success, NeighborWorks Rochester is considering candidates for its next two Healthy Blocks initiatives. To help with the selection and to train new staff members on the core components of this approach, NeighborWorks Rochester CEO Kim Brumber turned to David Boehlke, the nation’s leading Healthy Neighborhoods strategist. Joining them over the course of two rainy days in January 2013 were representatives from NeighborWorks Western Vermont who wanted to learn how they might apply this thinking to their own newly selected target neighborhood in the town of Rutland.

With a healthy dose of offbeat humor, Boehlke stressed the need for strategies that are grounded in market realities and build confidence among existing residents. “Markets need to be built,” he said, “not just houses.” This is especially true in cities with stagnant or declining populations where potential homebuyers have many homes and neighborhoods to choose from. In order to compete, you need to reposition your neighborhood in the marketplace. Building confidence in the future of the neighborhood validates people’s choice to live there, creates pride, and encourages investment because it makes economic sense.

So, how do you build confidence? A lot of it has to do with image and physical conditions. Neighborhoods with houses that are reasonably well-maintained and have tidy gardens and litter-free streets instantly convey that this is a neighborhood where current residents succeed, and where future homeowners would want to buy. But according to Boehlke, the key to building confidence is engaging residents and building their capacity to manage day-to-day neighborhood issues. Ultimately, people are more likely to invest in areas where residents work together to improve the quality of life.

As NeighborWorks Rochester considers its next Healthy Blocks, it will select neighborhoods where resident engagement activities and modest investments in home repairs are likely to leverage additional investment. As the team from NeighborWorks Western Vermont also learned, Healthy Blocks’s focus on building markets, improving image and physical conditions, and fostering resident leadership offers lessons for other organizations that are designing place-based revitalization strategies.

To learn more about the Healthy Neighborhoods approach that David Boehlke created and teaches, take a look at his monograph, Great Neighborhoods, Great Cities, written about the Healthy Neighborhoods approach in Baltimore for the Goldseker Foundation.

Woodstock Commons Matters!

noreply@blogger.com (NeighborWorks America) — Tue, 07 May 2013 06:09:00 +0000

By Kevin O'Connor, CEO, Rural Ulster Preservation Company

Last week, RUPCO celebrated the long anticipated opening of Woodstock Commons. We marked the occasion with a ribbon cutting ceremony and invited the public to an open campus on Friday, May 3.

Remarkably, it was exactly 10 years ago, in May of 2003, when the phone rang. It was Bob Young, then chair of the Town of Woodstock's Affordable Housing Committee calling to ask if RUPCO would please come to Woodstock to build some affordable housing. After all, Bob said "We've had an affordable housing committee in this town for the better part of three decades and we can't get any affordable housing built."

Believing that home matters, we said yes. And we were pleased to have the early support of NeighborWorks America, which provided important pre-development financing to really get the project moving.

Today, Woodstock Commons shines as an intergenerational campus of 53 homes for seniors, working families, and artists clustered on seven acres of a 28-acre site nestled behind the Bradley Meadows Shopping Center. The 1-, 2- and 3- bedroom homes are energy efficient employing a ground-based, geo thermal system to provide central air heating and cooling. The homes are connected to the municipal water and sewer systems and feature walking trails that link, for the first time, the established neighborhoods of Playhouse and Elwyn Quarry Lanes. The buildings' handsome and unique design features vaulted ceilings, metal roofs, fiber cement siding, bamboo flooring and ample windows. Senior residents enjoy three separate community rooms while a large community building centers the campus as a gathering place for all residents. Each apartment is visitable by offering a grade level entrance and first floor, wheelchair accessible bathroom. The site is expected to earn two Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications from the US Green Building Council: one for New Construction and the other for Neighborhood Development.

So why does it matter?

For each of us, home is at the center of our everyday life; it's where each day starts and ends. Home is where we play, where we rest and are nourished. It's where we teach our children and gather with friends and family. It's where we are inspired and where our dreams take root. We know from experience and research that stable homes lead to healthier lifestyles, more individual success, higher student achievement and safer communities.

To be sure, the homes at Woodstock Commons matter greatly for the first group of residents lucky enough to be chosen in the lottery. They are now living in affordable, healthy, energy efficient homes near the hamlet, enabling them to achieve greater well-being. With truly affordable rent & utilities, residents will have more disposable income for the other necessities of life. Children have others to play with and they can be proud of where they live. Seniors can visit easily with their friends and a walk in the woods lies just outside everyone's front door!

Ask Mercedes, a wonderful artist and longtime Woodstock resident, whose last apartment was mold infested and causing her to be ill, how much her new healthy home at Woodstock Commons matters. Ask Mandara, a senior artist originally from Mexico who works at the Woodstock School of Art if her new home matters. Mandara had been renting a tiny studio apartment and paying more than half of her income in housing costs. Today she has a beautiful sunny, one bedroom apartment and pays 30% of income for rent. Or ask David, a part-time Town of Woodstock employee whose partner Christina is eight months pregnant if these homes matter. Prior to moving to Woodstock Commons, they were renting another apartment in Woodstock that didn't have a functioning bathroom!

Woodstock Commons matters not just today but for decades to come, as these homes will continue to provide affordable and stable rental housing for hundreds of individuals and families from Woodstock and the region.

Woodstock Commons matters to Woodstock.

From now on, the Colony of the Arts can boast that it has affordable housing for town employees, other working families, seniors and artists! And not just run of the mill housing, but the best kind of affordable housing - the kind that doesn't look like affordable housing! Don't take my word for it. A couple of weeks ago, a vendor came to the site for the first time. He followed directions to the site but when he drove in, he thought to himself, "This can't be the affordable housing in Woodstock, It looks like high end housing." So he got back into his truck and drove back out to the entrance to check the sign, to see if he was in the right place. And of course, he was. When he told me this story, it really made my day!

While the process to get here was certainly long and arduous, in the end, these homes matter because of the lessons they have taught. They demonstrate that communities can indeed build quality affordable housing. They show that a thorough review process does lead to a better outcome but they are also testament that local review processes can and must become more efficient, less redundant, less costly and take less time while still achieving community goals.

It's an understatement to say that the homes at Woodstock Commons would not be possible without an incredible array of board members, staff, professional consultants, colleagues, elected & appointed officials, funders, lenders, supporters and residents (for and against) who played a role or otherwise engaged in a difficult process that produced the outstanding results you see today. The list of people and organizations to which RUPCO is indebted is long indeed and I hope to be able to express my overwhelming feeling of gratitude to many this week.

Home is something special & personal to each of us. Of course, it's many things. Here's one thing that home will always be to me: Home is where - as a young boy - my mother told me that I could be whatever I wanted to be. Think of everything home means to you and I hope you agree, home really matters.

Reflections on Superstorm Sandy After Six Months

noreply@blogger.com (NeighborWorks America) — Wed, 01 May 2013 16:47:00 +0000

by Deborah Boatright, northeast regional director, NeighborWorks America

Six months after Superstorm Sandy rocked the coastlines of New Jersey, New York City and Long Island, NeighborWorks America and its affiliates remain deeply engaged in helping homeowners and businesses to recover and rebuild. We are committed for the long haul; with our sights set on strengthening community resiliency in an era of climate change.

Over the past six months, NeighborWorks America educated more than 750 contractors and homeowners at 13 mold remediation trainings, six of which were co-sponsored with NeighborWorks affiliates. A fully updated “Navigating the Road to Housing Recovery Guide”, providing “road maps” to residents on rebuilding, repairing, selling, relocating, buying or renting, was released in March, and 90 counselors and nonprofit professionals were trained in its use. The Navigating Guide and Mold Remediation tools are downloadable from our website: www.nw.org/sandy.

NeighborWorks America’s northeast regional headquarters is located in lower Manhattan, and our local staff has been steeped in recovery and resiliency discussions throughout the region. Our office was closed for four months due to flooding. Staff came back to a changed landscape. Many of the small stores that surround our building have yet to reopen; and the South Street Seaport, a major tourist attraction and hub for small businesses, remains shuttered. Similar conditions exist in other hard hit commercial areas along the region’s vast shoreline.

Wayne Meyer, president of NeighborWorks affiliate
New Jersey Community Capital, was one of a dozen
people honored this week at the White House as
a Superstorm Sandy “Champion of Change for
the organization’s REBUILD New Jersey Fund.

This is a pivotal time in recovery and rebuilding, as congressionally appropriated resources are becoming available for deployment, and the private funding community is more organized and focused. NeighborWorks America has a unique role to play, utilizing our nationally regarded expertise in training, community building, impact measurement, capacity building and grant making. Our affiliates are doing great work, guided by a deep commitment and astute professionalism that is the hallmark of NeighborWorks. It is challenging work in the communities that we have all long called home.

Wayne Meyer, president of New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC), was one of a dozen people honored this week at the White House as a Superstorm Sandy “Champion of Change” for the organization’s REBUILD New Jersey Fund. The REBUILD New Jersey Fund closed 23 loans totaling $800,000, preserving 135 jobs for customers like Architectural Hardware in Jersey City, New York, a family owned and operated distributor of metal and wood doors, frames and hardware for more than 40 years. Architectural Hardware had up to 56 inches of water, and lost a great amount of inventory and all its vehicles. Their loan allowed the owners and their nine employees to get back to business through the purchase a new forklift, replaced inventory, and replenished revenues.

In Monmouth County, New Jersey, homeowners and residents seeking help with their housing situation continue to come to the Affordable Housing Alliance’s offices daily, and the organization has seen a rise in the number of applicants for assistance through their statewide utility relief program. Fifteen of the 17 mobile homes purchased by this NeighborWorks affiliate are now installed and on the way to full occupancy, and the remaining two, accessible units for people with disabilities, are arriving soon. The Alliance’s work is featured in a compelling video by the Robin Hood Foundation, focusing on the story of Kanseisha Wilson, a home health aide and mother of two.

Neighborhood Housing Services of East Flatbush, part of NeighborWorks affiliate NHS of New York City, opened a Housing Recovery Center in Brooklyn’s Canarsie section. Homeowners there were able to re-occupy their homes only after the City of New York’s rapid repair program addressed their most emergent needs. Permanent repairs remain to be done, and funds are in short supply. NHS’ experienced contract management specialist has helped 57 families to assess their homes and plan for appropriate repair, and the organization secured funds for small grants of $10,000 to help offset the costs. Qualifying counselors assist families to negotiate insurance claims, address mortgage issues and avoid scams, which are rapidly growing. The innovative program was recently featured on NY1.

"It is important for Asian Americans for Equality to be there because
people in the community trust us. Our physical presence shows we are
there for the long haul,” said Raquel Colon, senior housing counselor.

Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) is working heavily in Queens, Southern Brooklyn and Staten Island with a focus on Asian Americans and new immigrants. AAFE has stationed staff at local grassroots organizations in Coney Island and Sheepshead Bay to strengthen their capacity, while offering grants, low interest loans, targeted technical assistance and one-to-one financial counseling to impacted homeowners and small businesses throughout the city. To date, over 160 businesses from all over the city have received loans totally $3.2 million from AAFE’s small business affiliate, and more than 200 walk-in clients were served just at one Emergency Help Center in Flushing, Queens. AAFE too is deeply concerned with scams and predatory contractors, and plans to review contractor records and work claims for homeowners.

“There are three big issues that we are facing in terms of recovery. Clients are being advised to elevate their homes, flood insurance rates are sky high now, and people need guidance and direction on how to navigate the bureaucracy. It is important for AAFE CDF to be there because people in the community trust us. Our physical presence shows we are there for the long haul,” said Raquel Colon, senior housing counselor.

Wade attended a Hope for Homeowners event
sponsored by NeighborWorks America,
Hope Now Alliance, Community
Development Corporation of Long Island

On Long Island, which has the largest number of FEMA applicants of all three areas, Community Development Corporation of Long Island’s Sandy Housing Recovery Program is working extensively in seven towns throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. CDCLI is currently focused helping 143 clients to create individual plans to address their immediate and long term housing needs, and is making their full array of housing services available. Insurance and mortgage issues related to the storm are prevalent—49 of their current clients are also receiving help with these issues. Amityville resident Harold Wade, who came to CDCLI at a Hope for Homeowners event, typifies many homeowners: “"I was under water in two ways, both from Sandy and financially," said Wade. "It’s a long road ahead but it’s my opportunity to start over again."

Powerful Benefits Linked to Pre-Purchase Housing Counseling

noreply@blogger.com (NeighborWorks America) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:06:00 +0000

This is reposted from the Bipartisan Beat blog on the Bipartisan Policy Commission (BPC) website.

Counseling can help families decide whether they are prepared for the obligations of homeownership

By Christopher S. Bond

The BPC Housing Commission believes that counseling and education must be a central part of a more responsible approach to homeownership, particularly for first-time buyers.

I first learned about the benefits of housing counseling from NeighborWorks America, one of our country’s leading community development organizations. In 2007, then-Senator Dodd and I sponsored legislation supporting NeighborWorks’ efforts to help forestall foreclosure for struggling families.

When homeowners experience an unexpected setback – the loss of a job, a medical emergency, or some other crisis – housing counselors can help them find solutions before they fall behind on their mortgage payments. But the benefits of counseling are often felt even before the home purchase takes place, as counseling can help families decide whether they are prepared for the financial and other obligations of homeownership. In meetings with counselors, civic officials, and families, I heard time and time again that pre-purchase counseling’s most important contribution may be helping prospective buyers understand when it is not the right time for them to buy a home.

The latest proof that pre-purchase counseling can offer powerful benefits comes from a recent NeighborWorks study examining 75,000 mortgages originated over a two-year period from October 2007 to September 2009. The study concludes that mortgage borrowers who participated in NeighborWorks’ pre-purchase counseling program were nearly one-third less likely to be 90 days or more delinquent on payments in the first two years after closing than those borrowers who did not receive counseling. This percentage reduction in mortgage delinquencies was the same for both first-time and repeat buyers.

Pre-purchase counseling provided by the NeighborWorks network of organizations consists of a minimum of eight hours of group education and individual counseling sessions. These sessions examine the potential homebuyer's personal and financial situation; details about house selection, the financing process, and the closing; and post-purchase concerns like home maintenance.

Also, the NeighborWorks study responds to one of the main challenges in evaluating the effectiveness of pre-purchase counseling: selection bias. The concern is that people who enter counseling may have certain “unobserved” characteristics related to how they manage credit that can affect mortgage performance, either positively or negatively. To mitigate the impact of selection bias, the study utilized data about borrowers’ credit practices and behaviors from the credit-rating agency Experian and employed a procedure called “propensity scoring” to create a comparison group with the same observable characteristics as the counseling clients.

The NeighborWorks study makes a significant contribution to the public’s understanding of the potential effectiveness of pre-purchase counseling. It’s good to see that the study is receiving some national attention, and it is a must-read for housing practitioners and policy makers.

Former Governor and Senator Christopher S. "Kit" Bond serves as a co-chair of BPC's Housing Commission.

Flexing Green Muscles Earth Day and Every Day

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:47:00 +0000

NDS is a Neighborworks
America green designee

By Stacy Brown, Neighborhood Development Services Inc, director of asset management

Being a responsible steward of our environmental resources means looking at the variety of ways in which our homeownership and rental home work can reduce environmental harms and build the self-sufficiency of our people and buildings. Benefits of “going green” include lower utility costs for residents to a unique marketing asset for us as we compete for tenants and homebuyers.

Last December, NeighborWorks America named Neighborhood Development Services Inc (NDS), based in Ravenna, Ohio, as a NeighborWorks Green Organization designee. We are proud to be a part of this program and we hope what we learn can inspire others nationwide. Our green work spans weatherization and home repair to ecologically responsible design and materials for new buildings. We are also branching into alternative energy as a way to raise revenue while helping the community and the environment.

For existing homes, we’ve found that weatherization protections pay off for all involved. At our Lakeview 2 Apartments complex, we reduced energy 20 percent by installing Energy Star appliances, attic insulation, air sealing, heat pumps and high efficiency lighting and window fixtures. We also used faucet aerators, dual flush toilets, water efficient washers and landscaping to decrease water usage. The work has benefited not only NDS, but also Lakeview residents who now have lower utility costs.

NDS has also committed to incorporating environmental improvements and green maintenance. This means purchasing green materials and supplies when possible, installing rain barrels at all of its properties and creating recycling systems for all residents. Additionally, the maintenance staff is trained on purchasing, methodology and overall green maintenance.

Finally, we are working to take environmental sustainability beyond simply housing improvements. NDS is pursuing the opening and operation of a public compressed natural gas re-fueling site. This site responds to rising demand for cleaner fuel sources for their vehicles. It will dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions and allow local residents and businesses to take advantage of major fuel cost savings. Revenue earned from the site will provide NDS with a new source of funds to support its other mission-driven programs, which will benefit the communities in which we operate. While this project is still in its preliminary stages, NDS has met with local stakeholders to discuss the project and continues to seek funding to perform a formal feasibility study for this project. Additionally, we are working toward gathering fuel commitments from local companies. These commitments are key to securing funding and partnerships related to this unique, triple bottom line project.

Together, all of us can find ways to use environmental resources more sustainably. We know our efforts are but one example and we look forward to learning about and implementing many new ideas in the years ahead. To learn more, visit http://www.ndsohio.org.

Beginning a Career in Service

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000

This blog post is in honor of the forthcoming National Volunteer Week (April 21 - 27, 2013).

By Brittany Hutson, NeighborWorks
America Public Relations fellow

Today’s generation of college graduates and young professionals aspire to have a meaningful career that allows for connecting and giving back to communities in authentic and meaningful ways. There are a number of programs that allow for new professionals and career changers to explore what a career in service is all about. One of those programs is AmeriCorps VISTA, a national service program that fights poverty by placing members in yearly positions with nonprofit organizations to work on tasks such as fighting illiteracy, improving health services, strengthen community groups, and much more. The following testimonials are from four VISTA members who describe their experiences of working in local communities through a NeighborWorks affiliate:

Stories have been edited for length

Angela supporting NKCDC and the Sustainable 19125 initiative

Angela Taurino (AmeriCorps VISTA Member 2011-2012 at New Kensington Community Development Corporation in Philadelphia, PA): Upon graduating from Arcadia University, I decided to change my career goal of becoming a teacher. Unfortunately, I didn’t know what that career would be. I decided to use VISTA as a way to pursue other interests. New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) offered a green community builder position that, while unrelated to my professional or educational background, coordinated with my interests. [At NKCDC] I learned how to organize projects, manage volunteers, and create plans. I coordinated with a team of professionals who were as dedicated to improving the community as I was. My work with NKCDC has helped me refocus my career interests and goals. Without building and maintaining partnerships with city entities, civic groups, and other non-profits, I wouldn’t know the many community building organizations available and the work that’s involved. While the job market has been tough, I’m better able to choose organizations that are truly exciting and match my interests and skill sets.

The building behind is a foreclosed/condemned property in Silver Spring.
MHP launched Green Club as a way to engage youth and younger
generations to care for their community.

Jose Gonzalez (AmeriCorps VISTA Member 2011-2012 at Montgomery Housing Partners in Silver Spring, MD): In the fall of 2011, I decided that I had to serve and share with others my talents, capacities and leadership skills. My decision was influenced by the realization that neighborhoods in Silver Spring, MD were struggling from the housing crisis and economic turmoil. I chose to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA member with Montgomery Housing Partnership’s Glenville Road Interdepartmental Team (GRIT Team). The Glenville Rd. community was plagued by unemployment, chronic vagrancy, foreclosures, property vandalism, drugs, littering and trashed streets and alleys. To address these issues, I worked with the GRIT Team to develop a core group of leaders who would develop initiatives to protect the community. Serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA member was a unique experience and opportunity because it reminded me how important and rewarding it is to form a community where individuals can connect and participate in addressing the major challenges they are facing.

Homeport community garden

Josiah Littrell (AmeriCorps VISTA Member 2012-2013 at Homeport in Columbus, OH): In the summer of 2012, I signed up to spend ten weeks as an AmeriCorps*VISTA Summer Associate to help grow and administer a community garden. I created guides on recycling, composting, and getting involved in the garden. I wrote bylaws. I watered plants. I weeded plants. I set up a blog, Facebook page, and Twitter account. Each night, I wondered if any of my efforts would make a difference. As the summer progressed, slowly but surely, people started volunteering to help water and maintain the garden. Others started sharing ideas for parties in the garden and events we could have. With that, I realized that success was all the little things that happened along the way –it was the weeds that we pulled, the phone calls we made, and the pictures we posted. Success was working incrementally, sometimes painstakingly so, in order to be ready for that key moment when the right people were in the right place at the right time.

Alexandria at work, organized with Post-ITs

Alexandria Ingley (AmeriCorps VISTA Member 2011-2012 at Homeport in Columbus, OH): Upon graduation from college, I knew two things: I wanted to stay in Columbus and I wanted to work within the nonprofit field. I discovered an AmeriCorps VISTA position available with Homeport. During my term, I refined my professional skills through community engagement, community event planning and grant writing. Beyond my professional development, I have learned with and from those who stand in the face of struggle, always resilient in their support of the neighborhoods they call home and the vision of a community that will return to its once beautiful and thriving rhythm. Society has often measured success by wealth or a higher social position. For communities working to stabilize, however, success may look like months with less gang activity, a grant to help purchase home repair supplies or a community picnic where people gather and share in each other’s lives.

Have you served as a VISTA member or participated in another service program? Tell us about your experience below or contact us via Facebook or Twitter.

Youth Savings Builds Good Habits and Good Citizens

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:00:00 +0000

By Rebekkah Barger, NeighborWorks Umpqua
IDA program manager

The financial future of our children is determined, in part, by how much they know about money. NeighborWorks Umpqua offers classes that teach money management skills and financial wellness to our young people between 10 to 17; we call it the “Youth 3As.” The class introduces financial management concepts at a kid’s level while allowing participants to earn matching dollars towards their own asset purchase. Those asset purchases can be anything athletic, artistic, or academic in nature, hence the name “3As.”Over the years we have worked with many young people, and I would like to believe that our classes have a long lasting effect. To be perfectly honest, though, it’s not that often that we hear back from the kids after they have made their purchase — that is, until I met Morgan and her sister, Quinn.

Morgan and Quinn contacted our office almost two years ago and wanted to save for dance lessons. They had been very good savers, and by the end of the classes had reached their goal of saving $300 each. This qualified them for our 2:1 match of an additional $600 each — an impressive $1,800 for the two at the end of the program and enough to pay around 50% of their annual dance lesson costs ($1,500-2000 for each girl each year).

I didn’t hear about Morgan and Quinn again until a month ago when Morgan contacted me. She explained that she was participating in the Miss Outstanding Teen pageant and had chosen financial education and goal setting as her platform. Her goal, she explained, was to teach the concept of goal setting and saving to little kids. She had made arrangements with the local Boys and Girls Club and had even begun writing grants for some start up money. She was off and rolling!

I asked Morgan what inspired her to do this, and she explained that setting goals and then saving for them feels good. For six years, Morgan and her sister had been babysitting, dogwalking, selling doughnuts, doing chores for neighbors and many other fundraising activities to pay for their own dance classes and school trips. Cumulatively, she and her sister had raised thousands of dollars.

Morgan liked being able to have the things that mattered to her, without needing her parents to pay for it. She thought others should learn to do the same and she is even writing a book about saving. Morgan is a great example of how our programs create good savers, and good citizens.

For information about Morgan, or other programs offered by NeighborWorks Umpqua, email Rebekah Barger at rbarger@nwumpqua.org or visit our website at www.nwumpqua.org

Twin Cities CDC Remakes and Markets Elm Street Area Neighborhood

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 18:30:00 +0000

By Ascala Sisk, Senior Manager
Neighborhood Stabilization
NeighborWorks America

Reposted from StableCommunities.org

Rebuilding and rebranding long struggling neighborhoods isn’t an instantaneous process. As our Stable Communities’ Neighborhood Marketing Program participants know, the work of redeveloping and marketing a neighborhood’s image –and making the substantive improvements that that image shift is built upon—takes time and dedication. This past week, I was excited to join Twin Cities Community Development Corporation, a NeighborWorks network organization, to celebrate another step towards success in these efforts.

On Tuesday, April 9th, I joined the Twin Cities CDC and local and national elected officials at a ribbon cutting in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, where a formerly blighted property has been turned into family-friendly housing. The event celebrated more than the rehabilitation of the seven-unit building, it highlighted the work that Twin Cities CDC has put into the slowly transforming the Elm Street Area Neighborhood, the focus of their neighborhood marketing efforts.

At the event, Congresswoman Niki Tsongas noted the catalytic effect these efforts have on their surrounding neighborhoods, saying, "Strong and healthy communities are built around high-quality and affordable housing…In Fitchburg and across the Commonwealth [of Massachusetts], strong public-private partnerships are helping to provide means and mechanisms for revitalizing our cities and towns.”

It is investments like those being made in Fitchburg that are adding strength to local real estate markets and bolstering community pride. I congratulate Executive Director Mark Dohan and the Twin Cities team for their hard work and terrific achievements and look forward to seeing how Twin Cities’ continued, targeted approach to revitalization transforms Elm Street and all of Fitchburg in the months and years ahead.

Read more about the event here.

Read more about NeighborWorks’ Neighborhood Marketing Program here.

Additional Funding for Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 19:30:00 +0000

By Jeanne Fekade-Sellassie
director, NeighborWorks America National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program

Today, NeighborWorks America announced that $70.1 million has been awarded to 30 state housing finance agencies (HFAs), 17 HUD-approved housing counseling intermediaries, and 72 community-based NeighborWorks organizations to provide counseling to families and individuals facing the threat of foreclosure. Just one month after the seventh round of National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling (NFMC) Program funds were appropriated, communities across our country will be able to put the funds to immediate use.

At a time when foreclosures continue to affect communities around the country and unemployment rates remain high, the need for the NFMC funding is critical. Demand for these funds far exceeded the amount of funding available; eligible applicants requested over $105 million in NFMC grant funds.

In total, more than 1,200 nonprofit counseling agencies and local NeighborWorks organizations across the country are expected to be engaged in the NFMC Program as a result of these awards. These organizations provide invaluable, free assistance to families at risk of losing their homes, determine client eligibility for the Making Home Affordable programs, help clients understand the complex foreclosure process, and identify possible courses of action so their clients can make informed decisions and take action.

To date, more than 1,560,000 families in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Guam have received foreclosure counseling through the NFMC Program. It is estimated that 193,000 families facing the threat of foreclosure will be directly assisted with this seventh round of funding.

In addition to the grant funding, the NFMC appropriations provide funding to train foreclosure counselors and to administer the program. With these funds, NeighborWorks has conducted over 156 local, regional, and national trainings and has provided over 12,100 training scholarships and over 23,000 course completion certificates to individuals attending these trainings. Nearly 5,800 participants have completed one or more of the three foreclosure e-learning courses developed with NFMC funds: Foreclosure Basics, Understanding and Applying Loss-Mitigation Tools, and Using Effective Practices to Improve your Foreclosure Counseling Program. NeighborWorks expects to train 2,000 counselors with the seventh round of NFMC funding.

Learn more at http://nw.org/network/foreclosure/nfmcp/round7.asp

How Tax Prep Sites Help Recruit New Clients

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:30:00 +0000

By Darren Hamm,
deputy director, NHSGC

The yearly obligation to file taxes is often a rare opportunity for people to really reflect on their finances and to connect with community organizations that can help them year-round. This can help save them money and help nonprofits reach new clients.

Last year Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Cleveland (NHSGC) started a financial capability program and this tax season marks the second year of our first Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which helps Cleveland residents of lower incomes receive free help filing their taxes. We chose to run this VITA site because, if you’re talking about asset building, there’s really nothing more direct than saving someone $450 in tax prep and having their refund— often 50% of their annual income—invested in the local environment (utilities, groceries, car repair, tuition) or helping that person pay down debt.

So far this season, NHSGC has assisted in returning more than $750,000 in income tax returns to more than 400 people throughout northeast Ohio, further saving these taxpayers more than $160,000 in filing fees. This is great for the residents and it’s also an important way for NHSGC to reach new clients.

We identify potential clients by having VITA site tax filers complete surveys on how they will use their refund, their biggest challenges financially and other such questions that can assess their financial capability. We then connect tax filers to services that can address those needs. Sometimes the services are ones we provide and other times we connect tax filers to our local partners. Our hope is that those who haven’t worked with us yet will remember we are here if need arises.

Volunteers from Charter One Bank and Darren Hamm, NHSGC

This approach has already paid off for us and for our new clients. In the past few months we’ve assisted tax filers with foreclosure, helped them register and take homeownership courses, and apply for home repair loans. We’ve been able to help these new clients because they share many characteristics with our current clients, such as geographic location. However, as a group, the new clients/tax filers are more likely to rent than own and they generally have more modest incomes, so we keep that in mind when explaining our services.

Overall, we feel it’s been a successful tax season and we hope to maintain relationships with clients in the coming year. To close out, we’re hosting a Super Saturday event on April 13 in partnership with Charter One Bank. Tax filers will have their taxes prepared, learn about opportunities to save their tax refund, and be entered into a Cleveland Saves drawing for opening up a savings account on site.

Mountain Housing Opportunities: Building Homes as a Community

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:20:00 +0000

By Brittany Hutson, NeighborWorks
America Public Relations fellow

Twenty-five years ago, a group of 10 volunteers completed seven home repairs in seven months for seniors in the Asheville area. These repairs included roof and porch repairs, replacing furnaces, correcting electrical hazards, and water and sewer problems. Out of this effort was born Mountain Housing Opportunities, a community development corporation based in Asheville, North Carolina, that builds and improves homes, neighborhoods, and communities for people of Asheville and Buncombe County. Several of those volunteers served on the original board of directors of Mountain Housing, including Executive Director Scott Dedman. Today, the organization completes 150 emergency home repairs each year for families with children and elderly and disabled homeowners.

In the early 1990s, Mountain Housing moved into developing single family homes and affordable/workforce apartments, and later townhomes and condominiums for first-time homebuyers. Since the financial crisis, Mountain Housing has temporarily stopped producing multifamily homes for homeownership.

Self Help Homeownership families work together to frame a house

“We are building single family homes and have expanded our production of apartments since the rental market continues to expand dramatically,” says Dedman. As part of the organization’s single family home development effort, Mountain Housing worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development office to start a Self-Help Homeownership program, where families spend approximately 20 hours per week building their own homes for about eight months. “We build six homes per years with families through that program,” explains Dedman. Production for apartments averages about 60 per year. To date, 535 apartments have been completed.

Two members of the six Self Help HomeOwnership
families measure wood to cut for their home

Mountain Housing became a NeighborWorks charter member five years ago, and since then, Dedman says the organization has dramatically grown in production and services. For example, after becoming a member, Mountain Housing began a down payment assistance program that provides an average of 25 to 30 homebuyers per year with loans for as much as $15,000 per home.

Since Mountain Housing earned a LEED Gold certification for a building completed in 2010, they have been incorporating even more green features into their developments. Dedman is also proud that Mountain Housing has helped more than 4,500 families and individuals. “We’ve saved people’s homes and lives through emergency repair,” he says. “We’re providing families with children and elderly and disabled folks a safe and attractive apartment in good neighborhoods. We’ve helped families move up in their quality of life.”

Learn more about Mountain Housing Opportunities at http://www.mtnhousing.org

Joining forces: Habitat and NeighborWorks in Michigan

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000

NeighborWorks America recently announced that Habitat for Humanity of Michigan is now part of our network of chartered members. This is an exciting opportunity for two nationally recognized affordable housing organizations to expand services in a state that has suffered greatly in recent years. To bring you more of the story, Alexandra Chaikin, online media project manager at NeighborWorks America, interviewed Sandra Pearson, president and CEO for Habitat for Humanity Michigan.

Sandy Pearson, president and CEO
Habitat for Humanity Michigan

What does Habitat for Humanity of Michigan do?

We serve 75 local chapters of Habitat operating in all 83 counties of Michigan. We offer families and individuals access to services like financial capability, homebuyer education and debt management. In 2009, we became a full service company offering mortgage origination, servicing and collections; and we are a licensed lender. This gives us a platform that will allow us to work with financial institutions in new ways to help them meet their goals to serve people who don’t qualify for conventional mortgage products and, ultimately, the goal for us is to provide financing for low-income people who want to buy a home, but who cannot qualify for traditional mortgages. The ability to work with financial institutions and investors in new ways to bring more capital to all that we do allows us to take families who want to be homeowners further down the path to achieving their goals.

How did you first hear about NeighborWorks America?

My first experience with NeighborWorks was when I worked at Michigan State Housing Development Housing Development Authority. When families were ready to buy a house, I helped get them financing. There were only three places that could serve nontraditional applicants with lowest incomes: Habitat for Humanity, the USDA 502 direct program and a NeighborWorks affiliate in Toledo, Ohio which had a loan pool. That program in Toledo actually inspired the statewide loan fund program I’m working to fund here in Michigan.

You went to an organization in Ohio to help people in Michigan?

I will go anywhere. I’m working with a company in California right now. If I can’t get it in Michigan, I’ll go someplace else.

What are the advantages of becoming a member of the NeighborWorks network?

This is a huge personal goal for me. One of my initial goals was becoming a chartered NeighborWorks member because we could really partner to help more families. We can refer clients to each other, provide more financing options and do more in areas like financial capability, homebuyer education and debt management.

Habitat for Humanity's Women Build program helps women
learn construction skills and build homes and communities.

When you have Habitat for Humanity and NeighborWorks America, the two largest national affordable housing organizations, working together, the possibilities are beyond what you could imagine. It’s going to be the biggest thing I’ve ever been involved in in 20 years of affordable housing.

Can you say more about the loan fund you’re developing?

Capital is scarce these days and particularly so here in Michigan, so we’re interested in closing the gap between need and availability. Habitat for Humanity Michigan has established a structure for the Habitat for Humanity Michigan fund. The goal is a $20 million mortgage purchase loan pool, which I’m working now to get funded. We will establish a revolving loan fund that financial institutions and other capital investors may invest in to bring more capital to finance mortgages and home repairs. Funds will directly benefit individuals and bring more capital to allow affiliates to partner with more families in more ways than ever. Staffing for the loan fund is statewide which frees local staff and volunteers to focus on what they do best. Basically the fund is tapping into a network of community development experts and private sources of funding to allow more efficiencies statewide and therefore help a greater number of people.
I’m also working on program with the state housing finance agency and a state bank to create a sort of secondary market for the loans. This will increase organization’s cash flow and their ability to relend to other families. I anticipate that the loan fund will happen by June of this year.

Who will benefit from this loan fund?

Loans will go directly to anyone served by NeighborWorks America, Habitat for Humanity Michigan or the USDA 502 direct program. Since Habitat for Humanity Michigan serves all 88 counties of the state, the benefits essentially are open to anyone who qualifies and comes to us or to NeighborWorks America or the USDA 502 direct program. There is potential for this to expand to other states.

Any closing thoughts?

Millard Fuller, Habitat's founder said “The poor do not need charity; they need capital. A hand up and not a hand out.” In my mind, this partnership works toward that statement – a catalyst to bring capital to more people.

Providing Pathways Out of Poverty in the Grand Canyon State

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:03:00 +0000

Reneé Bibby,
marketing coordinator,
Primavera Foundation

More than 28,000 individuals are homeless in Arizona, with 1 in 100 people homeless in Pima County and the Tucson Metropolitan Area. This is double the national average of 1 in 200.

Thirty years ago, Tucson, Arizona like the rest of the country, was experiencing a rapid rise in homelessness. To address this issue, Nancy Bissell and Gordon Packard organized a group of friends and neighbors and created the Primavera Foundation. Their initial goal was to provide for the emergency needs of those in our community who were homeless.

Currently celebrating its 30th year of providing services to the Tucson area, the Primavera Foundation has expanded with a variety of programs, to respond to the complex challenges and diverse needs of the community. Today, Primavera offers a full spectrum of programs that provide multiple affordable housing options, job training, employment opportunities, financial and homeownership education, and neighborhood revitalization. Primavera also provides specialized services for veterans while continuing to address social and economic justice issues. These programs and Primavera’s team of over 1,000 volunteers have helped to create a vibrant grassroots effort to address the underlying causes of poverty in the community.

Rosa Borbon is raising her granddaughter, Mary Rose. Rosa
served on the Las Abuelitas grandparent council, providing
crucial design input into the plans of the Las Abuelitas project.
Photo credit: Primavera Foundation

“Primavera’s job is to meet people wherever they are on their pathway out of poverty,” said Peggy Hutchison, Primavera’s chief executive officer.

A new project under construction for Primavera is Las Abuelitas. This 12-unit community is for low-income grandparents raising their grandchildren and will open in August. It will also include a community center, basketball court, a playground, private gardens within the units, and a community garden.

“Primavera’s job is to meet people wherever they are on their pathway out of poverty,” said Peggy Hutchison, Primavera’s chief executive officer.

“We were approached by grandparents who had very unique concerns about raising their grandchildren and asked for a solution,” explains Hutchison. “Primavera decided that this was not only an opportunity to help 12 families, but a chance to empower other grandparents and revitalize the neighborhood.”

Additionally, Primavera is still working to address the needs of individuals. One example is a program participant named Bill McNamee, an ex-offender, who was homeless and in need of employment. After a stay at the Primavera men’s shelter, McNamee moved into Primavera’s rental housing program while participating in Primavera’s workforce development program, Primavera Works. He has now secured a full-time job and is looking forward to joining Primavera’s financial and homeownership education classes.

Bill McNamee, currently employed as a host at Waffle House,
poses with Waffle House Owner, Gabby Llovet.
Photo credit: Primavera Foundation

“Bill is a great example of how people can grow if given the right opportunity,” says Hutchison. But there are still an abundance of people to assist. Hutchison says a benefit of being a NeighborWorks America charter member is that “NeighborWorks is always willing to support progressive visions and programs.”

“The collaborative partnership that NeighborWorks brings to community development organizations throughout the network is immeasurable,” she adds.

Learn more about Primavera at http://primavera.org

Rural Gets a Welcome Spotlight in National Housing Policy Report

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000

By David R. Dangler, director, NeighborWorks Rural Initiative

The Bipartisan Center’s Housing Commission recently released Housing America’s Future: New Directions for National Policy. From the introduction we learn that the report is, “the culmination of a 16-month examination of some of the key issues in housing, provides a blueprint for an entirely new system of housing finance for both the ownership and rental markets.”

The first wave of reactions to the report have naturally focused on the recommendations to wind down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while re-affirming the importance of sustainable homeownership as integral to the American dream, to engage the private sector more broadly in housing finance, and to remember and include the lowest income renters when allocating increasingly scarce resources. For those working in rural housing, however, what jumped out for many of us was chapter five, “The Importance of Rural Housing."

The rural recommendations give a welcome affirmation to USDA Rural Development’s “primary responsibility” for housing rural Americans, noting “higher poverty rates and lower incomes” which add to rural housing’s affordability burdens. With all the public policy focus on consolidating federal housing programs, the commission’s clear language around keeping rural housing programs at USDA is especially welcome to many.

The report includes four rural policy recommendations:

1.    Support and strengthen USDA’s role in rural housing.
2.    Extend the current definition of rural areas through the year 2020.
3.    Increase budget allocations to serve more households.
4.    Dedicate resources for capacity-building and technology to strengthen USDA providers

If implemented, these recommendations would dovetail neatly with NeighborWorks America’s own efforts in concert with other national intermediaries—HAC, Rural LISC and Habitat for Humanity—to strengthen the rural nonprofit service delivery system.

Starting well before the Great Recession, NeighborWorks America has consistently prioritized a national partnership between credentialed nonprofits and USDA Rural Development (RD). The thinking has been that there would be a variety of ways for an increasingly professional nonprofit infrastructure to fill in key customer service gaps that would open as RD decreased its field offices and personnel. For example, the packaging of 502 Direct loan applications for RD area offices is about to transition from a handful of pilots to a mainstreamed model for others to follow.

Given the unique interdependence of rural-serving nonprofits and USDA Rural Development, chapter five brings a welcome focus to the issue of rural housing, but as with so many blue ribbon reports, the real value will be in the degree to which the report's recommendations become policy.

Housing Counselors a 'Flashlight' for Sandy Victims

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:29:00 +0000

By Douglas Robinson, media relations manager, NeighborWorks America

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg with Senator Schumer (NY)
and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan Photo credit: Keith Getter

Calling counseling a "flashlight for homeowners in the dark", U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (NY) underscored the value that local nonprofit housing counselors provide to homeowners recovering from Superstorm Sandy. Senator Schumer was joined by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan at a press conference held at NeighborWorks America's New York City office (See NY1 video here. Full recording viewable in Chrome, Quicktime here).

NeighborWorks America, its local affiliates and partners have helped educate and train hundreds of homeowners and contractors about remediating the effects of Sandy on homes and businesses. Some specifics include:

Assessed 500 homes in Suffolk County Long Island for emergency repairs (Community Development Corporation of Long Island).
Provided 180 New York City small business owners and homeowners with affordable loans (Asian Americans for Equality).
Purchased 17 manufactured homes for displaced families in Monmouth County New Jersey (Affordable Housing Alliance).
Assisted with emergency clean-up and distribution of supplies (Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City) that reached 170 residents.
Created a three million dollar revolving loan pool for small businesses throughout New Jersey (New Jersey Community Capital)

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, NeighborWorks America Regional Dir. Deborah Boatright, HUD NY-NJ Acting Regional Admin. Mirza Orriols, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan Photo credit: Keith Getter

With the exception of the lender NJCC, all these groups are HUD certified and have certified housing counselors on staff that practice according to National Industry Standards. Several have added staff to work with homeowners affected by the storm.

NeighborWorks America itself is also taking direct action to help storm victims. On March 8, we released a comprehensive manual for individuals and families affected by Hurricane Sandy, "Navigating the Road to Housing Recovery." Accompanying the guide are trainings for housing counselors and members of the public. In addition, NeighborWorks America has hosted popular trainings for contractors on how to properly conduct mold remediation.

Learn more about all that NeighborWorks America is doing to assist with Sandy recovery by visiting nw.org/sandy. You can learn more about the value of housing counselors by watching this video on foreclosure prevention.

Celebrating Those Who Work to Build Community

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:24:00 +0000

This blog entry is reposted from our Leaders for Communities website.

By Sara Varela
NeighborWorks America
Community Building and Organizing
communications specialist

At the recent NeighborWork Training Institute in Atlanta (February 18) NeighborWorks America presented the third annual National Award for Excellence in Community Building and Organizing (CB&O). We honored nine outstanding individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to the field, encourage resident leadership development, support resident led activities and help communities build social capital.

Winners included Julia King from LaCasa Inc in Indiana; Kathryn Benner and Priscila Cisneros, Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation in California; Carol Bronson, NeighborWorks Great Falls, Montana; Alexis Collins, Orlando Neighborhood Improvement Corporation in Florida; Kevin Johnson, Madison Park Development Corporation, in Boston; and Douglas Le, Belinda Yee and Johanna Contreras, Asian Americans from Equality in New York City. I am honored to work with these individuals on a regular basis and to have an opportunity to recognize their hard work.

Award winners during the ceremony (Back, left to right): Carol Bronson; Alexis Collins, Kathryn Benner, Julia King,
Kevin Johnson, Eileen Fitzgerald, Douglas Le (Front) Priscilla Cisneros, Belinda Yee, and Johanna Contreras

These outstanding practitioners are passionate about their work in encouraging and facilitating the development of local talent, so residents can lead the change they want to see in their communities. Thanks to them and to all the other CB&O practitioners in the field. Their work is very important to NeighborWorks America and the communities in which they work.

To see additional photos of the event visit our Flickr page, and watch this video from the local ABC Channel in Great Falls Montana for a piece on Carol Bronson, read the press release from Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation and this article that talks about Julia King in the local paper The Elkart Truth.

Celebrating AmeriCorps Week

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:30:00 +0000

Debbie Wise, NeighborWorks AmeriCorps
VISTA program manager

Every day in communities across America, AmeriCorps members are making a powerful impact on the most critical issues facing our nation. Whether building stronger, healthier communities, rebuilding after disasters, preserving the environment, or enhancing relationships among neighbors that lead to positive community change, AmeriCorps members are getting things done. Since 1994, more than 775,000 AmeriCorps members have given one billion hours of service, mobilizing tens of millions of volunteers, and improving the lives of countless citizens.

NeighborWorks America is proud of its 84 AmeriCorps VISTA members serving at 44 NeighborWorks organizations across 28 states. Their hard work, commitment, and dedication to their project sites and communities often go on quietly and without fanfare. This week we celebrate and share their stories. And, most of all, we thank them for their service.

In support of AmeriCorps Week, the NeighborWorks VISTA Program has encouraged VISTA members serving at NeighborWorks organizations to assist their communities through acts of service. This year, some planned AmeriCorps Week activities include:

Family Services, Inc.
North Charleston, South Carolina

A VISTA named Jessica paints a D.C. park bench

AmeriCorps VISTA member Sarah Cornwall is helping out with a Financial Literacy workshop. The topic will be on student loans. Sarah will be a guest speaker, presenting on AmeriCorps and the opportunities it offers including the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award.

Community HousingWorks
Escondido, California

Natalie Kessler and Kelly Kean will talk with teen residents of Community HousingWorks affordable housing complexes. They will share their experiences as AmeriCorps VISTAs and present on other post high school/college volunteer career opportunities like Teach for America and CityCorps.

Homeport
Columbus, Ohio

AmeriCorps VISTA member Becky Neubauer is cleaning up and planting bulbs at the local community center and taking part in a cultural competency and community team building trainings.

NHS of South Florida
Miami, Florida

AmeriCorps VISTA members Victoria Fear and Ryan Shedd will be participating in NHSSF’s 9^th Annual Community Paint and Beautification Day, They’ll be assisting homeowners with limited incomes improve their homes by providing exterior painting and light landscape restoration. NHSSF’s goal is to empower homeowners and build community pride through this neighborhood beautification project. In 2012, 12 homes were improved with the assistance of more than 300 volunteers!

“We are proud to be part of AmeriCorps and grateful for the AmeriCorps members who are getting things done right here in our community,” said Arden Shank, President and CEO of the Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida. “AmeriCorps members have made a tremendous impact in our community, allowing us to extend our services and better carry out our mission.”

AmeriCorps Week takes place March 9-17, 2013. Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag: #ACweek

Fulfilling the Dream of Homeownership in Paradise

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 20:26:00 +0000

By Brittany Hutson, NeighborWorks
America Public Relations fellow

Hawaii is known for its tranquil waters and natural beauty, but the state is also one of the most expensive places to live and buy a home. For 10 years, Hawai‘i HomeOwnership Center (HHOC), based in Honolulu, has been a resource for providing education, information, and support for first-time homeowners. Since the average income does not mirror the high cost of living in the state, HHOC’s services are particularly helpful to low and moderate income households. The organization has assisted more than 930 families become first-time home buyers and this year, HHOC anticipates assisting their 1,000th homeowner.

Hawaii was not immune to the effects of the global economic crisis; HHOC had to develop new strategies to assist their clients. “We never thought that we’d see foreclosures on a high level since real estate has always been a finite commodity in our state,” says HHOC Executive Director Dennis Oshiro. “We have been compelled to deal with the rising number of families in danger of losing their homes dues to financial hardships, as well as educate the public about avoiding modification scams.”

Maria Stewart and Matthew Kriegler attended a Hawaii HomeOwnwership
Center orientation and thought, “homeownership is for other people.”
They signed up anyway and realized homeownership was
possible. Now they enjoy meals in their own backyard.

After noticing a growing need from homeowners that wanted assistance in resolving their mortgage situation, HHOC added a foreclosure prevention counseling program in February 2009. Instead of hiring new staff, HHOC’s counselors were trained and became certified as foreclosure counselors. Since the foreclosure prevention program’s implementation, over 750 families have been assisted by HHOC. Although lower interest rates have helped create a sellers’ market, rising sales prices and tight credit restrictions for low down payment buyers have made it challenging for low and moderate income buyers to purchase homes, says Oshiro. “In the last four years, more of our clientele have been long-term clients that require additional support to purchase a home.”

For years, Mary Ellen Farias has kept her receipts in a zip lock bag as part of
her system for tracking expenses. Now Farias is a homeowner.
She says, “I did it for my son.”

Oshiro recalls a story about a client, whom he calls ”Keone”, who was able to purchase a home for his wife and four children after completing HHOC’s homebuyer education classes. Keone and his wife were both employed but could not afford to rent a home. The family alternated living with their friends and family members for at least a year. Keone and his wife took HHOC’s online education classes—through which they learned about money management, getting a mortgage, shopping for a home, and credit—and attended counseling sessions.

Oshiro recalls his staff commenting, “Keone was like a sponge soaking up every bit of information at his meetings. He is the only client we know of that read the entire 1-1/2 inch textbook from cover to cover!” Keone and his family now live in a home of their own. “Keone’s open attitude towards learning and his enthusiasm of working towards his dream of homeownership reflects what we have seen in many clients after they are equipped to make homeownership possible,” says Oshiro.

Oshiro says being a part of the NeighborWorks network has allowed HHOC to “operate at a high-level on behalf of our clients” because of the funding and technical assistance NeighborWorks provides.

Learn more about HHOC at http://www.hihomeownership.org.

Dorothy Richardson: An African-American Leader

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:37:00 +0000

Dorothy Richardson

As we recognize Black History Month, it is a good time to reflect on the history of African-American leaders within the history of NeighborWorks America. In fact, the very existence of our organization is due in large part to an African-American homemaker named Dorothy Richardson.

Richardson’s Pittsburgh neighborhood was in decline, partially due to redlining policies that prevented most banks from lending to her and her neighborhoods. At the time, in the 1960s, most cities tried to solve blight by demolishing neighborhoods, but Richardson knew that she and others were willing to fix their homes if they could get loans.

Richardson and supporters in front of a home
that would be rehabilitated instead of torn down

Together Dorothy Richardson, along with her neighbors, city bankers and government officials convinced 16 financial institutions to make conventional loans in the community; a local foundation capitalized a revolving loan fund. They named the resulting organization Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. and it became a model for organizations nationwide

Richardson is credited with introducing a new model of community development, one that emphasized cross-sector partnership and ground-up solutions for struggling communities. During the 1970s and 1980s, Richardson remained a prominent figure by educating and inspiring community leaders throughout the country. She assisted them with establishing their own resident-led organizations, which led to the creation of what would be called the NeighborWorks America network. In 1978, Congress later institutionalized the network by establishing the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, now known as NeighborWorks America.

Mural of Dorothy Richardson by artist at NeighborWorks
affiliate Orlando Neighborhood Improvement Corporation

Today NeighborWorks America supports a network of more than 235 nonprofits, located in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Our network members serve low- and moderate- income individuals and families of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, including African-Americans.

In 2012, NeighborWorks organizations served more than 11,000 African-American individuals with homeownership counseling, foreclosure counseling, refinancing, reverse mortgages, and rehab services. NeighborWorks organizations also served nearly 30,000 African American–headed rental households. Together, the NeighborWorks network helps residents to build stronger communities, achieve and maintain homeownership and support the creation and preservation of affordable rental homes.

In honor of Richardson’s life work, NeighborWorks America created the Dorothy Richardson Award for Resident Leadership in 1992. Each year, the award honors seven community leaders from around the country for their outstanding contributions to their communities. Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. in Pittsburgh, now known as NeighborWorks Western Pennsylvania, created the Dorothy Richardson Legacy Award in 2008 to recognize outstanding contributions by dedicated volunteers and long-serving board members.

To learn more about Dorothy Richardson and NeighborWorks America, watch this video: http://ow.ly/i4ssk
To learn more about the 2012 Dorothy Richardson Award winners, visit: nw.org/drawards

Hope Enterprise Corporation: Building Financial Wealth in the Mississippi Delta Region

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:28:00 +0000

By Brittany Hutson, NeighborWorks
America Public Relations fellow

This year, Hope Enterprise Corporation (HOPE), a community development financial institution (CDFI), marks 20 years of providing support and assistance for small business owners and homeowners in economically distressed areas of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Based in Jackson, Mississippi, HOPE has grown from providing financing and technical assistance to small business owners to investing in other focus areas such as housing, healthcare, and community development. In 2002, HOPE further expanded the scope of their services by becoming the primary sponsor of Hope Credit Union.

Hope Credit Union was organized in 1995 by members of Anderson United Methodist Church to provide access to financial services to low-income residents in Jackson, Mississippi. Nearly two years ago, Bancorp South, the largest bank in Mississippi announced plans to close 23 branches. Nine of those were in communities where Bancorp South was the only bank. According to Executive Director William Bynum, “It left a lot of families without access to financial services.” Utica, a small rural town near Jackson, Mississippi, was particularly affected by the bank closures; so, local leaders invited the Hope Credit Union to establish a local branch that would be run by Utica residents. According to Bynum, similar bank deserts have emerged throughout the Mississippi Delta region. “Opening that branch [in Utica] addressed a critical need for that community,” he says. “[We were] able to work with [them] and help them recover and essentially create their own financial institution.” The credit union offers business and mortgage lending, as well as basic financial services.

A housewarming celebration for the first two families moving into
homes in the new Radiant Blossoms development in New Orleans

HOPE and Hope Credit Union have also been resources for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Those affected had access to services like small business and housing recovery, and could open accounts to receive recovery funds. In the wake of the disaster, HOPE joined with NeighborWorks and other collaborators to create Home Again, a home rebuilding effort. HOPE and NeighborWorks also partnered to develop a financial curriculum to help homeowners on the Gulf Coast develop recovery plans. “People needed help navigating all the confusion,” says Bynum. “We counseled about 10,000 people who received roughly $600 million for housing recovery needs.”

Bynum is proud that HOPE has been able to help people respond to devastating events like Hurricane Katrina and the recent economic downturn. “We’ve been able to survive, navigate, and provide services to thousands of people; it’s a great feeling.” Part of their ability to survive and expand is due to their interest in partnerships, like NeighborWorks. “NeighborWorks has been at the front of the line as a critical partner by providing capital and technical support,” says Bynum. “They are proactive and creative, and have been wonderful to work with.”

Learn more about HOPE at http://www.hope-ec.org/

35 Years of Preserving and Rehabilitating New York’s Rural Communities

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 19:22:00 +0000

This blog is part of our 35th Anniversary Celebration series, highlighting NeighborWorks member organizations which are celebrating milestone years marking either their membership in the network or their incorporation as an organization. Last month, Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation and Improvement Corporation celebrated their 35th year since incorporation.

By Brittany Hutson, NeighborWorks
America Public Relations fellow

For 35 years, the Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation and Improvement Corporation (CHRIC), located in Mayville, New York, has rehabbed thousands of homes in Chautauqua County. Chautauqua is a low-income rural county situated in southwestern New York. The county has a population of over 126,000 and is a tourist area that offers grape vineyards, wine trails, ski resorts, and fishing in Chautauqua Lake. According to Staci Bemis, housing rehab coordinator for CHRIC, Chautauqua County holds the oldest housing stock in the country, and this has presented a bevy of rehab projects for the organization. CHRIC’s achievements include the completion of nearly 2,700 homes from 1990 to 2011, an approximate value of $25.5 million in housing rehab funds. This was accomplished in spite of the various challenges brought on by the recent recession, such as decreasing housing values, job losses and population loss.

Though rehabilitation is the organization’s largest line of business, CHRIC also offers foreclosure and homeownership counseling, lending, and has been involved in historic preservation and downtown community development projects, including a five-year rehabilitation project on a lighthouse situated on Lake Erie in the city of Dunkirk.

A property before rehabilitation

After CHRIC performed rehab work

CHRIC’s dedication to rehabilitation has made a difference in the lives of numerous local families. For example, the organization received a home through donation in 1998. The home was one of CHRIC’s rehab projects and in 2008, the organization was able to place a family of eight in the home after counseling through CHRIC’s Home Buyers Club. “This was a family who really had been experiencing pretty severe housing needs,” says Jim Goodling, executive director from late 2011 to January 2013. He also recalls assisting a family in which the father worked full time as a janitor and the mother stayed at home to tend to her two mentally and physically disabled girls. Through their counseling program, CHRIC helped the family become homeowners and reduce their monthly expenditures. “That’s indicative of the kind of work that we do.”

CHRIC’s rehabilitation service is in high demand these days and it has been challenging to keep up with requests. “There are nearly 465 families on our waiting list,” says Goodling. “We can address only a small part of those requests in any given year.” Funding is one of the biggest constraints. However, Goodling believes that being a charter member of NeighborWorks has been helpful to CHRIC. Funding from NeighborWorks, along with other federal sources and state contributions, has enabled CHRIC to undertake its “buy, rehab, and sell” housing program. Funding has also provided a basis for their loan and mortgage programs.

Learn more about CHRIC at http://www.chric.org/

The Transformation of a Tax-phobe

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:12:00 +0000

Elena Kaye-Schiess, AmeriCorps VISTA
with NeigborWorks Rural Initative

When I used to think about filing my taxes, I pictured myself standing at the edge of a cliff with my head turned away and my eyes closed while I dropped my stack of tax documents into the abyss. On the one hand, I considered the IRS a black abyss where as long as nothing came back out to bite me, I was golden. On the other hand, my understanding of what exactly I was sending was analogous to holding my breath and crossing my fingers.

Last year I first heard the terms EITC and VITA, or Earned Income Tax Credit and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites, through an a collaboration of NeighborWorks America's Rural Initiative and the NeighborWorks America homeownership team. The teams were working together on an open grant round to build the capacity of VITA sites operated by NeighborWorks organizations across the country. I learned about the impact NeighborWorks organizations have had in their communities through VITA sites that help residents correctly file their taxes and access the EITC, and how support from NeighborWorks America has enabled the organizations to efficiently and effectively reach more residents in their service areas.

VITA volunteers at Urban Edge help residents access their tax advantages

The EITC is one of the federal government’s largest anti-poverty programs, and each year it helps lift an estimated 6.6 million people above the poverty line. However, because workers move in and out of eligibility based on changes in their marital, parental and financial status, awareness is critical. About one-third of the EITC eligible population turns over each year, and this year millions of workers will qualify for the EITC for the first time (www.eitc.irs.gov).

Photo: Creative Commons, seniorliving.com

VITA sites bridge the awareness gap to help ensure those who qualify can claim the credit. The IRS works with national partners, community-based coalitions and thousands of local partners and governments, including many NeighborWorks organizations, to establish sites around the country. IRS-certified volunteers will provide free basic tax preparation and education about the EITC, as well as other credits individuals may qualify for. Benefits screening is also available to determine eligibility for services such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and LIHEAP (Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program).

Working on this project made me realize it was time to pull back the curtain on my tax aversion. I became certified to volunteer at a VITA site operated by a NeighborWorks organization in my community. A year later I’ve not only become a VITA volunteer junkie, but I also incessantly hound my friends and family about how the EITC is a critical asset-building initiative, and how fantastic it is that there is probably a site in their community where they can sit down with a real live person who will prepare their taxes for free while explaining how the process works.

While volunteering with Urban Edge last year, I watched as many clients came in for tax prep, but when they learned about the financial education services Urban Edge also offered, such as first-time homebuyer education and credit counseling, they signed up for those as well. The CDC’s VITA role acted as a gateway for community members to get involved in the broader programs also available.

A friend recently told me about a new iPhone app where all you have to do is snap a picture of your W-2s and it will automatically populate your tax form for you. The old tax-phobic me would have probably thought this was a fantastic idea, but instead I had a much better recommendation to share: go visit a VITA site, and someone will help you prepare and file your taxes for free.

Want to learn more? Below is a partial list of NeighborWorks organizations which offer tax preparation services:

Affordable Homes of South Texas (Texas)
Arbor Development (New York)
Family Services Inc.(South Carolina)
Little Dixie Community Action Agency (Oklahoma)
Midwest Minnesota Community Development Corporation (Minnesota)
Neighborhood Development Services (Ohio)
Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Cleveland (Ohio)
Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans (Louisiana)
Opportunities for Chenango (New York)
Pathfinder Services (Indiana)
Pathstone (Indiana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania)
Urban Edge (Massachusetts)

A full list of all VITA tax sites is available on the IRS website: http://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/

Foreclosure Filings Down but Help Still Needed

noreply@blogger.com (Alexandra) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 20:30:00 +0000

By Douglas Robinson, media relations manager, NeighborWorks America

Housing counselors at NeighborWorks
affiliate Wyoming Housing Network helped
this couple save their home from foreclosure

RealtyTrac recently reported that new foreclosure filings in January 2013 dropped to the lowest level since April 2007, and that's a big deal and a good sign that many homeowners' financial positions are stabilizing. But the news from RealtyTrac also showed that more than 150,000 new foreclosure related notices were filed in January. These notices are on top of the nearly 1.5 million households who received a foreclosure notice in 2012.

These families need to be directed to the right kind of help and that's where trained housing counselors come in. According to data from the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling (NFMC) program, homeowners who receive help from a counseling agency that is a part of the NFMC program are more likely to obtain a mortgage modification, and get a better new mortgage rate if their loan is modified.

This week, the NeighborWorks Training Institute will convene in Atlanta and dozens of nonprofit professionals will take courses in foreclosure mediation, while dozens more will attend courses toward certification in homebuyer education. Homebuyer education prior to making the home purchase helps ensure that homebuyers know the full financial responsibilities of homeownership. NeighborWorks America believes that if more homeowners had the opportunity to work with a homeownership counselor prior to the housing crisis, the crisis would be much less severe.

More information about the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling program can be found at: www.nw.or/nfmc. The full report to Congress on the NFMC program is available on the NeighborWorks America website.

Information about NeighborWorks homeownership programs can be found at: www.nw.org/homeownership

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Hope Enterprise Corporation: Building Financial Wealth in the Mississippi Delta Region

35 Years of Preserving and Rehabilitating New York’s Rural Communities

The Transformation of a Tax-phobe

Foreclosure Filings Down but Help Still Needed

Wayne Meyer, president of NeighborWorks affiliate
New Jersey Community Capital, was one of a dozen
people honored this week at the White House as
a Superstorm Sandy “Champion of Change for
the organization’s REBUILD New Jersey Fund.