Ocotber 7, 2008
Contact: Erin Angell Collins, 202-220-6317, ecollins@nw.org
NeighborWorks® America Launches New Resource for Community Stabilization at www.StableCommunities.org
Washington, D.C. – Today NeighborWorks America launched www.StableCommunities.org, a new online information hub for nonprofit organizations and their public and private partners working together to stabilize their communities in the wake of the foreclosure crisis. StableCommunities.org is the centerpiece of NeighborWorks America’s Stable Communities initiative, a national response to the local challenges that arise when foreclosed homes remain vacant and abandoned, including increased crime, an eroded property tax base, and widespread blight.
StableCommunities.org fosters a national conversation among community development practitioners, offering both emerging and time-tested community stabilization strategies to help them develop solutions that are appropriate for their local communities.
“The nonprofit community must work together to transform this crisis into an opportunity to rebuild neighborhoods and create healthy, stable communities,” said NeighborWorks America’s CEO Kenneth D. Wade. “StableCommunities.org harnesses the collective knowledge and experience of community development organizations from across the nation, advancing effective tools and strategies to meet the community challenges created by foreclosure.”
With millions of homes left vacant and abandoned in communities across the nation, StableCommunities.org gives nonprofit organizations a central location to learn new strategies, interact with their peers, and get support to stabilize and revitalize their communities. HUD’s recently announced Neighborhood Stabilization Program will inject $3.92 billion in funding into areas devastated by the foreclosure crisis. StableCommunities.org will help prepare practitioners to use these resources while equipping them with the best tools and strategies available to leverage government funding.
StableCommunities.org provides:
- A starting point and a road map to neighborhood stabilization
- Best practices, case studies, and time-tested on-the-ground tools for community revitalization
- Information about upcoming training and events, and new funding sources
- Opportunities to interact with experts and peers, including discussion boards, expert blogs, and web chats
- Research and data on the neighborhood impacts of foreclosure
- Recent news and feature stories of community preservation programs around the country
- Examples of innovative partnerships with local government, business leaders, mortgage loan servicers, the faith community, and more
- A resource for funders interested in investing in community stabilization projects
Community development practitioners: For more information about NeighborWorks America’s Community Stabilization Initiative, please visit www.StableCommunities.org or send an email to stablecommunities@nw.org.
Media: For more information, please contact Erin Angell Collins, 202-220-6317 or ecollins@nw.org.
About NeighborWorks America
NeighborWorks America creates opportunities for people to improve their lives and strengthen their communities by providing access to homeownership and to safe and affordable rental housing. Since 1991, we have assisted nearly 1.2 million low- to moderate-income families with their housing needs. Much of our success is achieved through our support of the NeighborWorks network ― more than 230 community development organizations working in more than 4,400 urban, suburban and rural communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In the last five years, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $15 billion in reinvestment in these communities. NeighborWorks America is the nation’s leading trainer of community development and affordable housing professionals.
