For Immediate Release
November 17, 2005
Contact: Becky Fleischauer, 202-220-2360, bfleischauer@nw.org

All 50 States Now Benefit from NeighborWorks®
Wyoming and South Carolina complete Network's 50-state coverage

Washington, D.C. – Citizens of all 50 states will now benefit from NeighborWorks services that create more affordable housing, provide homeownership and other opportunities to gain financial independence, and revitalize and strengthen communities.

Family Services, Inc. of North Charleston, South Carolina and Wyoming Housing Network of Casper, Wyoming became chartered members of the NeighborWorks network this month, creating a NeighborWorks presence in all 50 states.

Sparked by 1978 legislation, NeighborWorks America created the NeighborWorks network of community development nonprofits charged with closing the homeownership gap among whites and non-whites; improving financial literacy; empowering families to get the most out of the homebuying process; and, using community development strategies to improve safety and build wealth. As a result, the NeighborWorks network of more than 240 organizations have been able to:

• Invest $8.5 billion in America’s communities in the last five years alone;
• Stem a rising tide of foreclosures in numerous communities;
• Help minority families achieve homeownership at four times the rate of conventional lenders;
• Educate and counsel homeowners, reducing mortgage default rates by 30 percent;
• Create the nation’s largest force of certified homeownership education counselors, educating more than 500,000 homebuyers;
• Forge private-sector partnerships that revitalize communities and provide affordable rental housing and development loans; and
• Mobilize hundreds of thousands of volunteers to revitalize neighborhoods.

“Membership in the NeighborWorks network provides access to a powerful battery of training, research, technical assistance and funding opportunities,” said NeighborWorks America CEO Ken Wade. “We take the investment we make in the network very seriously. Each organization must meet high organizational health and performance standards and undergo a rigorous review and audit to attain and keep their membership status.”

The Wyoming Housing Network is a nonprofit organization formed in 2004 to address affordable housing issues in Wyoming, where home prices have risen by nearly 11.5 percent in the past year. Among the 50 states, Wyoming is number 25 in terms of fastest home-price appreciation, according to the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight.

Family Services, Inc. has been serving South Carolina residents since 1888, providing a range of community services, including: consumer credit counseling; financial management services to assist fiscally vulnerable residents – the elderly, minors, and incapacitated adults; and, behavioral health services to address domestic violence, marriage/family, anger management and substance abuse issues.

About NeighborWorks America

NeighborWorks America provides financial support, technical assistance and training for communities across the nation, including the NeighborWorks network – a nationwide network of more than 235 community development organizations working in more than 2,700 urban, suburban and rural communities across America. These organizations engage in revitalization strategies that strengthen communities and transform lives. In the last five years alone, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $8.5 billion in reinvestment and helped more than 500,000 families of modest means purchase or improve their homes or secure safe, decent rental or mutual housing.