 |
| Partnership Helps Homeowners Facing Foreclosure |
|
NeighborWorks America will use a $1.275 million grant from Homeownership Preservation Foundation to develop and implement foreclosure prevention workshops in communities served by NeighborWorks. Grant funds also will be used to support counseling to local homeowners provided by NeighborWorks. In addition, NeighborWorks America will support a nationwide public service campaign aimed at encouraging homeowners to contact 1-888-995-HOPE to receive foreclosure prevention counseling.
“Every minute counts in averting foreclosures,” says Ken Wade, CEO of NeighborWorks America. “Research shows that early contact — within the first 15 days of missing a payment — is critical in saving homeowners and their communities from the devastation of foreclosure. A toll-free hotline will make it easier for consumers in trouble to pick up the phone.” View news release.
|
| |
| NeighborWorks Classes Help Future Homeowners — Improving Credit Scores Is Key |
| A national Associated Press story running in papers nationwide, including the Washington Post features NeighborWorks success in creating more bankable homebuyers. NeighborWorks Chief Executive Ken Wade reports that those taking NeighborWorks homeownership education and counseling classes see their credit scores climb an average of 50 points during an 8-week course. This credit score improvement can make an enormous difference in the cost of a mortgage.
The article profiles the work of NeighborWorks member Neighborhood Finance Corp. of Des Moines, Iowa.
View article.
|
| |
| All 50 States Now Benefit from NeighborWorks with Additions of Wyoming and South Carolina CDCs |
| Citizens of all 50 states will now benefit from NeighborWorks services.
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.
View news release.
|
| |
|
|
 |
 |
| Community Strategies represents the shared experience of NeighborWorks America and its member organizations in various topics of community development and affordable housing. |
 |
| The
NeighborWorks Training
Institute is dedicated to providing the highest quality training for community development practitioners. Learn about the latest classes and symposia on leading-edge topics. |
 |
| NeighborWorks America produces a wide variety of publications. For a complete listing go to publications. |
|
|
|
NeighborWorks and Enterprise Foundation
Announce Partnership
|
| NeighborWorks America and The Enterprise Foundation have entered into a partnership to "promote and work toward a common vision of providing affordable housing opportunities, building sustainable communities and creating new models for community development." For starters, the partners will provide $200,000 to Enterprise Corporation of the Delta, located in Jackson, Mississippi, for its home rehabilitation and repair loan program through Hope Community Credit Union. The program is being used in areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina. View news release. |
| |
| CDC of Long Island Working with Northrop Grumman on Employer-Assisted Housing |
| NeighborWorks member CDC of Long Island is partnering with Northrop Grumman in its employer-assisted housing program. CDC provides Northrop Grumman employees homebuyer education through on-site orientation sessions and then follow-up with one-on-one counseling and classes in its Home Ownership Centers. "We also provide access to Neighborhood Housing Services of America's 80/20 Tandem loan product, which makes purchasing a home possible in a high cost market," explains Marianne Garvin, chief operation officer for CDC.
"I believe our homebuyer education is just as important as the mortgage product and is held in high esteem by Northrop Grumman." |
| |
| Elkhorn Valley CDC of Norfolk, Nebraska, Celebrates NeighborWorks Membership |
| The Elkhorn Valley Community Development Corporation (EVCDC) in Norfolk, Nebraska, celebrated its new membership in the national NeighborWorks network on November 29. This significant achievement, which involved EVCDC meeting high organizational health and performance standards, will enable the organization to gain access to a powerful battery of training, research, technical assistance and funding opportunities. View article. |
| |
| NeighborWorks of Pueblo, Colorado, Lauded for Local Revitalization |
|
The Pueblo Chieftan praised NeighborWorks of Pueblo not only for its "solid track record revitalizing older neighborhoods in Pueblo" but also for revitalizing a sizable commercial district. The editorial mentions that the organization has invested nearly $665,000 in moving its headquarters into an old rental center building with a spacious meeting room that hosts board meetings, community gatherings and classes.
The Chieftan editorial said: "In a neighborhood characterized by low-income residents, many of whom have always been renters, the classes cover subjects from home ownership to basic maintenance. The [organization] has a supply of small tools which residents can check out, library-style, to fix things in their homes. Its strategy is simple, but it works. Fix up one property, and others nearby usually will be fixed up as well. That raises the property values and puts the face of stable home ownership on a neighborhood.
We commend Director Lionel Trujillo and his staff for their efforts to bring renewed luster to one of Pueblo’s oldest neighborhoods."
|
| |
| Home HeadQuarters Wins Rouse Award |
|
NeighborWorks member Home HeadQuarters, Inc. of Syracuse, New York, and Central City Concern (CCC) of Portland, Oregon, were awarded the 2005 Jim and Patty Rouse Award and $5,000 at The Enterprise Foundation's Network Conference in Washington, D.C. The award honors Enterprise's co-founders for their leadership by recognizing community-based organizations for excellence in neighborhood revitalization.
Home HeadQuarters Inc. provides services that help people become first-time homebuyers, homeowners increase their home value, strengthen neighborhoods and fulfill financial, housing and community development needs unmet by the private sector. For more information, visit www.homehq.org.
|
| |
| NHS of New York City Celebrates 3,000th Homebuyer |
| Thanksgiving came two days early for Yomayra Dominguez, an X-ray technician working at North Central Bronx Hospital. On November 22, Dominguez was presented with a check and a gift basket from Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City (NHS), in recognition of her being NHS’s 3,000th homebuyer. NHS helped Dominguez obtain a low-interest mortgage through Citibank, and partnered with the city to secure a first-time homebuyer’s grant. In addition, Dominguez took Homeownership and Landlord Training courses at NHS of the South Bronx. Eileen Fitzgerald, chief operating officer for NeighborWorks America, attended the ceremony. |
| |
| Former Bar in Tampa Converted to Job Center with Help from NeighborWorks |
|
Ground was broken November 16 on a 10,000-square-foot Urban Enterprise Center, replacing a night club, which closed three years ago. The enterprise center, being built at a cost of $2.6 million, will serve as the home of the Community Development Corp. of Tampa's One Stop Capital Center and Telesis Solutions Inc., a minority-owned call center company that is bringing 100 jobs to the city's east side. Once it is completed, the center will include housing, career, and business resources.
"The Urban Enterprise Center is designed to create jobs for low- to moderate-income residents in East Tampa," said Ken Wade, CEO of NeighborWorks America, which is contributing $130,000 to the project. "As a NeighborWorks organization, CDC Tampa excels at leveraging resources, partnerships and investments that empower the community of East Tampa. We are proud to have them in our NeighborWorks network," he said.
|
| |
| Affordable Housing Finance Recognizes Best Developments |
| Affordable Housing Finance magazine named the winners of its first ever Readers' Choice Awards for the nation's best affordable housing developments. The Grand Prize winner was an abandoned bus storage site in Seattle that was redeveloped into affordable housing for low-income families and seniors. The magazine featured the winners in its November issue. |
| |
| NeighborWorks 'Dream Team' in Indiana Sees 'Virtue of Older Neighborhoods' |
"People are not really seeing the virtue of older neighborhoods," said Pat Stephenson, executive director of Lafayette Neighborhood Housing Services in Lafayette, Indiana. Stephenson used that line last week to preface work being done with the NeighborWorks Dream Team program, an initiative designed to punch up the potential of Lafayette's oldest blocks. View article.
|
| |
| Shashaty Wins Corletta Award |
Andre Shashaty, editor-in-chief and publisher of Apartment Finance Today and Affordable Housing Finance, was recently honored with the 2005 Robert J. Corletta Award for Achievement in Affordable Housing. The award is co-sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the Neighborhood Development Collaborative (NDC).
|
| |
 |
 |
| FEMA Extends Deadline to January 7 for Katrina Evacuees in Hotel Rooms |
| The 10 states with the highest concentration of evacuees in hotel rooms will have the ability to extend until January 7 to help evacuees find longer-term housing. The ten states eligible to request the additional extension are Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Tennessee and Texas.
View news release.
|
| |
| Regulators Urge Banks to Help Meet Katrina Financial Needs |
|
Bank regulators are encouraging insured depository institutions to consider "all reasonable and prudent actions that could help meet the critical financial needs of their customers and their communities affected by Hurricane Katrina." News release. Freddie Mac granted a second three-month payment suspension on home loans it owns in major disaster areas due to Gulf Coast hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
|
| |
|
|
 |
| Morris K. Udall Foundation Native American Congressional Internship, January 31 |
|
Twelve candidates are selected for 10-week internships in Washington, D.C. Each intern will receive housing, a $1,200 stipend, daily allowance, and airfare to and from Washington, D.C. Interns work full time in congressional offices performing support work to special research and writing projects, and attend Congressional hearings. More.
|
| |
|
|
 |
| San Francisco Hosts Nation’s Largest Homeownership and Community Development Training Institute, December 5-9 |
|
Nearly 2,000 community leaders from across the nation will convene to become certified and trained in the most effective ways to increase minority homeownership; improve financial literacy; empower families to get the most out of the homebuying process; and use community development strategies to improve safety and build wealth. Media Advisory.
Pre-event registration has closed, but on-site registration is now available at the Hilton San Francisco. Learn more about this institute.
Join us on Wednesday, December 7, for the symposium — The New Rural America: Partners and Progress. This symposium will explore cutting-edge development work happening in rural communities across the United States. Check out symposium details.
|
| |
| Innovations in Community Development Youth Awards |
|
NeighborWorks America will honor four exceptional young adults for special contributions to community development at the February 22, 2006, NeighborWorks Training Institute symposium in Atlanta. NeighborWorks seeks to recognize young citizens, from across the country, who dedicate their time, energy, and unique talents to the improvement of their communities. Four outstanding young adults will be presented monetary awards and plaques recognizing exemplary work and contributions in the following categories: Academic Setting; Team Building and Collaborations; Policy and Advocacy; and Environmental Efforts and Disaster Rebuild.
More information about the award, nomination criteria and application are available online. [PDF]
If you have additional questions, please contact Adrianne Hull at ahull@nw.org or 404-347-1004.
|
| |
| NeighborWorks Training Institute, Atlanta, February 20-24 — Registration and Course Information Now Online! |
|
As always, the Training Institute offers a comprehensive curriculum, complete with the tools you need to achieve your community development goals and valuable opportunities to help you build important relations with your peers. Special highlights for this Institute include:
Register before January 9, 2006, to save on your registration fees! Please note: If you are chaperoning a young adult under age 18, you both must register separately using the special registration form found online.
|
| |
| Disaster Preparedness and Response Symposium, Dallas, April 5 |
|
Save the Date! Hurricane Katrina has left many Americans wondering what citizens, organizations, and local governments can do to prepare for natural and man-made catastrosophes. What are the best ways to endure disasters and then to reconstruct communities? To begin to answer these important questions, NeighborWorks America is convening a one-day symposium at the Dallas NeighborWorks Training Institute, scheduled for April 5, 2006.
CDCs and local governments in the Gulf Coast area will actively participate in presentations from organizations and communities that have implemented effective strategies. Attendees will take away the best practices, tools and skills needed to prepare for disasters and plan for recovery.
|
| |
| Earn Graduate Credits with a Professional Certificate through NeighborWorks America |
|
NeighborWorks Training Institute has partnered with Southern New Hampshire University’s School of Community Economic Development (SCED) to offer a program designed to enhance educational and credentialing opportunities for practitioners in the community development field. This flexible program provides six graduate credits to those who earn a certificate. Learn more.
|
| |
|
|
|
