News Release

July 7, 2009

Contact: Doug Robinson, drobinson@nw.org, 202 220-2360
Erin Angell Collins, eangell@nw.org, 202 220-6317

NeighborWorks America Announces Sponsorship of AmeriCorps VISTA Program
67 Local NeighborWorks Organizations to Host VISTA Volunteers
Beginning September 30, 2009

Washington D.C.—Today NeighborWorks America announced its sponsorship of one of the largest AmeriCorps VISTA programs to date: up to 168 VISTA volunteers will be sponsored by 67 local NeighborWorks organizations in 35 states.  The VISTA volunteers will work in local communities to reduce the rate of foreclosure, strengthen areas hard hit by the recession and foreclosure crisis, and bolster financial fitness and asset building among low- and moderate-income homeowners and renters.  All VISTA volunteers will be in place by September 30, 2009 and each will complete one full year of service. 

NeighborWorks’ VISTA program sponsorship is one strategy that the organization is employing to address an array of goals:

• Increase the capacity of local NeighborWorks organizations by adding a full-time staff member at a time when they need it most;
• Attract and retain new and diverse talent to the community development field;
• Contribute to a growing sense of national service in the nation by supporting those who are interested in serving their communities.

“Our nation’s communities are facing unprecedented challenges in the wake of the foreclosure crisis and recession.  NeighborWorks America strongly believes that national service and volunteer programs like the AmeriCorps VISTA program are a valuable resource that can play an important role in helping the community development field strengthen and revitalize communities.  We are proud to sponsor one of the largest VISTA programs to date and look forward to welcoming the VISTA volunteers through the doors of our local network organizations,” said Ken Wade, CEO of NeighborWorks America.

VISTA volunteers will have an enormous impact at 67 local NeighborWorks organizations across the country.  At Portland Housing Center in Portland, Oregon, a VISTA volunteer is a much-needed additional staff member who will have the opportunity to help put local families on the path to sustainable homeownership. 

“In the midst of the current crisis in the housing and financial markets, having a VISTA member placed at our organization will expand our ability to educate families to become successful homeowners and strengthen and rebuild our community—one household at a time,” said Michelle Puggarana, program manager, Portland Housing Center, a local NeighborWorks organization.

At Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation in Ventura, California, three VISTA volunteers will help area families exercise their financial fitness and gain critical knowledge about personal finance.

“We are honored to have been chosen as a host organization for three AmeriCorps VISTA members,” says Rodney Fernandez, Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation’s Executive Director. “The volunteers will play a vital role in the development of strategies and programs that will assist local individuals and families in raising their financial awareness and enabling them to find other resources they might not otherwise have been aware of. Volunteer service has always been of critical importance in Ventura County, but it recently became a hot topic during the last national election. The year-long volunteer opportunities available at CEDC will give in-depth volunteer time to three individuals who will add a new dimension of growth to vital programs at CEDC.”

For more information about NeighborWorks’ sponsorship of the AmeriCorps VISTA program, please contact Erin Angell Collins,
202-220-6317, 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. In the last five years, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $19.5 billion in reinvestment in these communities. NeighborWorks America is the nation’s leading trainer of community development and affordable housing professionals.