Rural Veterans and Local Nonprofits Receive Critical Housing Support

Contact: Dan Stern, dan@ruralhome.org
Shonterria Charleston, ahrv@ruralhome.org
202-842-8600

Rural Veterans and Local Nonprofits Receive Critical Housing Support

Funded by The Home Depot Foundation

Washington, D.C., July 24, 2020 – Veterans and their families in twelve rural communities will have better lives, thanks to The Home Depot Foundation and the Housing Assistance Council. The Foundation is awarding grants totaling over $305,000 to twelve local nonprofit housing agencies around the country to preserve housing for veterans in rural America.

The funds are part of The Home Depot Foundation’s Veteran Housing Grants Program, which wascreated to support the development and repair of housing for veterans. Many of our veterans and their families face major housing challenges, often worsened by issues like unemployment, age and service-related disabilities. The Home Depot Foundation is dedicated to giving back to those who have already given so much for our country.

As part of its Affordable Housing for Rural Veterans (AHRV) Initiative, the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) works with The Foundation to administer grants that bolster and support the work of rural nonprofit housing agencies to deliver critical housing support to veterans. “HAC is honored to continue its partnership with The Home Depot Foundation,” said David Lipsetz, HAC’s CEO. “Together we’ve helped strengthen the capacity of local rural organizations to build and preserve veteran housing units across rural America.”  As rural America is home to a disproportionately high number of service women and men; HAC remains deeply committed to supporting our nation’s service women and men by uplifting local nonprofits and their work to house and ensure the safe habitability of their homes and rural communities.

The grantee organizations – described below – provide a range of programs. With the grants, veterans who own homes in Arizona, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia will obtain critical repair assistance. Altogether, over 70 veterans and their families will benefit from these grants.

About The Home Depot Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation works to improve the homes and lives of U.S. veterans, train skilled tradespeople to fill the labor gap and support communities impacted by natural disasters. Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more than $335 million in veteran-related causes and improved more than 47,000 veteran homes and facilities in 4,500 cities. In 2018, the Foundation pledged an additional $250 million dollars to veteran causes, taking the total commitment to half a billion by 2025. To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation and see Team Depot in action, visit thd.co/community and follow us on Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram @teamdepot and on Facebook at facebook.com/teamdepot.

 

About the Grantees

  • BDT Housing Services Enterprise, Walls, MS will utilize $30,000 to leverage the rehabilitation of five (5) homeowner units located in the lower Mississippi Delta Region.  For additional information on BDT Housing Services Enterprise, visit their GuideStar profile at https://www.guidestar.org/profile/26-3736448.
  • Habitat for Humanity of Frederick County, Frederick, MD will utilize $17,409 to complete modifications on two (2) units for elderly veterans in Frederick County, MD.  For additional information on Habitat for Humanity of Frederick County, visit their website at www.frederickhabitat.org.
  • Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, in Chapel Hill, NC will utilize $30,000 to leverage the rehabilitation of three (3) homeowner units.  For additional information on Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, visit their website at https://www.orangehabitat.org/.
  • Habitat for Humanity of Smith County, in Tyler TX will leverage $30,000 on the rehabilitation and modification of six (6) homeowner units.  For additional information on Habitat for Humanity of Smith County, visit their website at https://smithcountyhabitat.org.
  • NeighborWorks UMPQUA, in Roseburg, OR will leverage $30,000 on the rehabilitation and modification of ten (10) homeowner units throughout rural Oregon.  For additional information on NeighborWorks UMPQUA, visit their website at https://www.nwumpqua.org/.
  • Rebuild Upstate, in Greenville, SC will utilize $30,000 to leverage the rehabilitation and accessibility modifications on four (4) homeowner units in rural South CarolinaFor additional information on Rebuild Upstate, visit their website at https://rebuildupstate.org/.
  • Rebuilding Together Dutchess County, in Poughkeepsie, NY will utilize $15,000 to leverage the rehabilitation of one (1) elderly homeowner units across rural New York.  For additional information on Rebuilding Together Dutchess County, visit their website at https://www.rebuildingtogetherdutchess.org/.
  • Rebuilding Together Twin Cities, in Minneapolis, MN will utilize $7,000 to leverage the rehabilitation of two (2) homeowner units in rural Minnesota.  For additional information on Rebuilding Together Twin Cities, visit their website at https://rebuildingtogether-twincities.org/.
  • Southern Appalachian Labor School, in Kincaid, WV will utilize $25,908 to support the rehabilitation of twenty (20) homeowner units in Appalachia.  For additional information on Southern Appalachian Labor School, visit their website at https://sals.info/.
  • Southwestern Regional Housing and CDC, in Deming, NM, will utilize $30,000 to support the rehabilitation of ten (10) homeowner units across the Southwest Border Colonias.  For additional information on Southwestern Regional Housing and CDC, visit their website at https://swnm.org/.
  • St. Mary Community Action Agency, in Franklin, LA, will utilize $30,000 to support the rehabilitation of six (6) homeowner units in the lower Mississippi Delta.  For additional information on St. Mary Community Action Agency, visit their website at https://www.stmarycaa.org/index.htm.
  • White Mountain Apache Housing Authority, in Whiteriver, AZ, will utilize $30,000 to support the rehabilitation of three (3) homeowner units on the Fort Apache Reservation.  For additional information on White Mountain Apache Housing Authority, visit their website at https://www.wmahousingauthority.org/default.asp?sec_id=180007661.

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National Endowment for the Arts funds Design Assistance for Twenty-three Rural Communities

Contact:
Office of Public Affairs, publicaffairs@arts.gov, 202-682-5570
Evelyn Immonen, evelyn@ruralhome.org, 202-842-8600

Twenty-three Rural Communities Receive Design Assistance From National Endowment for the Arts

Washington DC, September 10, 2019—In its ongoing support of rural communities, the National Endowment for the Arts announces the 2019 communities taking part in its national initiative, the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design™ (CIRD). New this year, the Arts Endowment is expanding CIRD’s offerings to include a peer-learning component for rural leaders from 23 communities. These leaders will receive training in rural design and creative placemaking as well as support in navigating funding opportunities to make their communities better places to live, work, and play. Along with the peer-learning component, CIRD will conduct its traditional community design workshops in three new places: Millinocket, Maine; Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; and Athens, Ohio.

This year is the first with initiative partners the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) and buildingcommunityWORKSHOP [bc]. This year also marked a record for the initiative with 85 applications received, the highest in the program’s history.

”It was inspiring to see overwhelming interest in the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design program this year,” said Arts Endowment Director of Design and Creative Placemaking Jen Hughes. “Rural and tribal communities across the country are putting forth ambitious visions for their future and view design and creative placemaking as a way to not only celebrate their cultural history, but also to drive economic development.”

Since 1991, CIRD has worked in communities with populations of 50,000 or less to enhance quality of life and economic viability through planning, design, and creative placemaking. To date, the Arts Endowment has convened more than 80 workshops in all regions of the country, bringing together local residents with teams of design, economic development, and creative placemaking professionals. Together, professionals and citizens leverage local and regional assets to guide the design of their communities.

The multi-day design workshops in the three selected communities will focus on different challenges. Dates for each workshop and members of the resource team are forthcoming.

Millinocket, Maine (population 4,400): The residents of Millinocket, located near Maine’s Mount Katahdin, have mobilized around sustainability, mental health/wellness, and diversifying the town’s economic base after the departure of the paper industry. The goal is to create a design principles guidebook that will inform downtown revitalization plans and be used by local businesses to help create a unified sense of place.

Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico (population 1,241): The Pueblo is developing an ambitious master plan for the Village of Laguna (one of six in the Pueblo) that seeks to address longstanding challenges, including a dearth of affordable housing and the need for both walkability and commercial space that builds on indigenous cultural assets such as artisanship and arid-land farming. The University of New Mexico’s Indigenous Design + Planning Institute will join local institutions to support the workshop.

Athens, Ohio (population 23,832): Mt. Zion Baptist Church Preservation Society wants to preserve and reimagine the use of a century-old church built by free-born and formerly enslaved black artisans. In addition to architectural rehabilitation, the Preservation Society and its partners envision the place as an economic engine and as a hub for black history and culture.

In addition to these three communities, 20 additional communities will form the inaugural peer-learning cohort and will meet for a Rural Design Summit in West Virginia, October 9-11, 2019:

[tdborder][/tdborder]

Organization

City

State

City of Eufaula

Eufaula

AL

Eastern Sierra Artists

Bishop

CA

Dancing Spirit Community Arts Center

Ignacio

CO

Huerfano County Economic Development, Inc.

Walsenburg

CO

Economic Council of Okeechobee County, Inc.

Okeechobee

FL

Sebring Community Redevelopment Agency

Sebring

FL

action pact

Waycross

GA

Thrive Allen County, Inc.

Iola

KS

Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative

Hazard

KY

Snow Pond Center for the Arts

Sidney

ME

City of Excelsior Springs

Excelsior Springs

MO

McComb Creative Economy Partnership

McComb

MS

Clay County Historical and Arts Council

Hayesville

NC

Divide County Economic Development Council, Inc.

Crosby

ND

Woodward Arts & Theatre Council, Inc.

Woodward

OK

City of San Elizario

San Elizario

TX

Town of Scottsville

Scottsville

VA

Shenandoah County Office of Economic Development

Shenandoah County

VA

NCW Economic Development District

Entiat

WA

Laramie Main Street

Laramie

WY

For more information about the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design go to the initiative’s web page.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. For more information, visit www.arts.gov.

The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) is a national nonprofit that strengthens communities across rural America through investment and assistance with affordable housing and community and economic development. Based in Washington, DC, HAC is actively involved in shaping federal policy and the affordable housing industry with its research, lending and conferences. We also deliver technical assistance, training and affordable loans to local organizations that help rural communities prosper.

buildingcommunityWORKSHOP ([bc]) is a Texas based nonprofit community design center seeking to improve the livability and viability of communities through the practice of thoughtful design and making. We enrich the lives of citizens by bringing design thinking to areas of our cities where resources are most scarce. To do so, [bc] recognizes that it must first understand the social, economic, and environmental issues facing a community before beginning work.

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HAC Awards Over $1 Million for Local Self-Help Homeownership Programs

Contact: Dan Stern
202-842-8600
dan@ruralhome.org

Washington, DC, May 22, 2019 – The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) is partnering with five organizations to build 75 self-help homes for low and moderate-income families. HAC finances these projects using $1.125 million in funds from the federal Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP), which is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Through the SHOP program, families create sweat-equity by participating in the home construction process, which lowers the overall construction costs and increases the affordability of their homes. “HAC has been an enthusiastic supporter of the SHOP program since its beginnings,” said David Lipsetz, HAC’s Chief Executive Officer. “It has been a valuable resource for creating safe, affordable housing and stable communities for low-income rural Americans. HAC is thrilled to work with local organizations across the nation and help families reach their dreams of homeownership.”

Local housing organizations leverage resources from a variety of private and public sources to provide this affordable housing opportunity to low- and moderate-income homebuyers. Many of the families participating in HAC-funded SHOP projects obtain low-interest mortgage loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Single-Family Housing Direct Home Loans program. By leveraging critical resources, including use of volunteer labor, self-help housing producers are able to create affordable, sustainable homeownership opportunities for low-income homebuyers.

SHOP funds cover costs associated with land acquisition and infrastructure improvements. Community-based organizations will train and supervise homebuying families who work together in groups to construct their own homes and their neighbors’. HAC’s local SHOP affiliates can use up to $15,000 per unit for eligible acquisition and site development costs. They are responsible for all construction activities, including securing additional funding, preparing sites, training families, and managing the self-help process.

Since the inception of the SHOP program, HAC has been awarded funding to produce 9,833 units of affordable housing for families. To date, HAC’s local partners have completed 9,608 homes. [tdborder][/tdborder]

About the Housing Assistance Council
HAC, founded in 1971, is a nonprofit corporation that supports the development of rural low-income housing nationwide. HAC provides technical housing services, loans from a revolving fund, housing program and policy assistance, research and demonstration projects, and training and information services. HAC is an equal opportunity lender.

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ORGANIZATION

STATE

TOTAL UNITS

Coachella Valley Housing Coalition

CA

26

Community Concepts, Inc.

ME

16

Neighborhood Nonprofit Housing Corporation

UT

24

Northwest Regional Housing Authority

AR

5

Rural Alaska Community Action Program

AK

4

Grand Total

75

Jennifer McAllister joins the Housing Assistance Council as Development Manager

Contact: Dan Stern
202-842-8600
dan@ruralhome.org

Jennifer McCallisterJennifer McAllisterWashington, DC, May 15, 2019 – The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) is pleased to announce that Jennifer McAllister will join HAC as its first Development Manager. She .

Jennifer joins HAC with nearly 15 years of experience raising funds and creating lasting partnerships for national nonprofits. Most recently she led NeighborWorks America’s Resource Development Division, overseeing its daily operations and managing national partnerships. She also championed efforts to grow the fundraising capacity of the local community development organizations that make up the NeighborWorks network. Prior to that, Jennifer served as Director of Corporate Development at Manna, Inc., where she led all fundraising and communications efforts for the organization, including corporate and foundation partnership development, individual donor engagement and solicitation, and managed a revolving loan fund. Jennifer is a Pennsylvania native and received her undergraduate degree from Temple University.

“I am delighted that Jennifer will join the HAC team. She has a well-earned reputation among the funders and supporters of community development for her honest and thoughtful approach and dedication to mission,” said HAC CEO David Lipsetz.

About the Housing Assistance Council
The Housing Assistance Council helps build homes and communities across rural America. Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., HAC is a national nonprofit and a certified community development financial institution dedicated to helping local rural organizations build affordable homes by providing below-market financing, technical assistance, training, research, and information services. To learn more, visit www.ruralhome.org.

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Housing Assistance Council to receive $20,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

Contact: Dan Stern
202-842-8600
dan@ruralhome.org

Washington, DC, February 14, 2019 – The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) is among organizations and individuals receiving funding as part of the Arts Endowment’s first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2019. This Art Works grant of $20,000 will allow HAC to work with local partners and engage visual artists to create a new collection of photos for exhibition, building on and celebrating the legacy of renowned social photographer George Ballis. Art Works is the Arts Endowment’s principal grantmaking program.

George Ballis spent his career advocating for and chronicling vulnerable populations across the United States and around the world. His work with Cesar Chavez helped build the impetus for the creation of the first farmworker housing programs. HAC will use the grant funds to revisit some of the locations where Ballis originally worked and engage a new generation of visual artists to build on Ballis For more information on this National Endowment for the Arts grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

“The arts enhance our communities and our lives, and we look forward to seeing these projects take place throughout the country, giving Americans opportunities to learn, to create, to heal, and to celebrate,” said Mary Anne Carter, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

“George Ballis was a skilled photographer and equally adept at advocating for persistently poor rural populations and communities,” said HAC CEO David Lipsetz. “His photos and his partnership with Cesar Chavez helped illustrate dire housing conditions for farmworkers in the late 1960s and early 1970s, galvanizing support for this vulnerable population. HAC’s early work intersected with Ballis and HAC is excited to partner with the National Endowment for the Arts to create and display new art rooted in Ballis’ still-timely body of work.”

About the Housing Assistance Council
The Housing Assistance Council helps build homes and communities across rural America. Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., HAC is a national nonprofit and a certified community development financial institution dedicated to helping local rural organizations build affordable homes by providing below-market financing, technical assistance, training, research, and information services. To learn more, visit www.ruralhome.org.

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Housing Assistance Council Names Eileen Neely Director of Lending

Contact: Dan Stern
202-842-8600
dan@ruralhome.org

Housing Assistance Council Names Eileen Neely Director of Lending

Eileen will manage HAC’s multi-million-dollar loan funds and investment in rural communities.

Washington, DC, February 4, 2019 – The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) is pleased to announce that Eileen Neely is joining HAC as the new Director of Lending. Eileen brings 30 years of experience in finance and impact investment. She will be the entrepreneurial leader and manager of HAC’s lending and community investment functions that provide low-cost capital to local nonprofits, for-profits and local governments developing affordable housing in rural communities throughout the United States.

Eileen joins HAC after working as a consultant for housing and impact investment organizations across the country. Prior to that she served as the Director of Capital Innovation at Living Cities, the Director of Strategy for the District of Columbia Housing Authority, the COO of the Fresno Housing Authority, and Director of Public Entity Lending at Fannie Mae.

“We are thrilled to bring Eileen on board as part of the HAC team,” said HAC CEO David Lipsetz. “Our loan fund is a critical tool for building the capacity of rural organizations, and I am pleased to see it in such capable hands.”

To learn more about the HAC Loan Fund, visit www.ruralhome.org/lending.

About the Housing Assistance Council
The Housing Assistance Council helps build homes and communities across rural America. Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., HAC is a national nonprofit and a certified community development financial institution dedicated to helping local rural organizations build affordable homes by providing below-market financing, technical assistance, training, research, and information services. To learn more, visit www.ruralhome.org.

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Solutions to rural poverty the focus of HAC Rural Housing Conference

Contact: Dan Stern
(202) 842-8600
dan@ruralhome.org

Over 600 rural builders and advocates gather in Washington, DC

Washington, DC, December 17, 2018 – Over 600 stakeholders from 48 state who work in the field of rural community development came together recently for two-and-a-half days at the Housing Assistance Council‘s (HAC) 2018 National Rural Housing Conference. Attendees from local nonprofits, federal agencies, Congress, state and local governments, and other industry leaders met to learn, discuss, and network in support of affordable housing and building rural prosperity.

The Conference featured over 40 workshops where participants learned best practices for rural housing development, organizational management, and resource development, as well as innovative approaches to housing and community development. The event included a pre-Conference day packed with gatherings for coalitions, associations, and working groups.

Participants heard from Federal Reserve Board of Governors chairman Jerome Powell, who revealed the central bank’s growing focus on communities that have been left out of the overall economic expansion. Senator Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV) also addressed the conference and called for her colleagues to work alongside her and community developers from across the country who want to improve rural areas.

“We love hosting the Rural Housing Conference every two years,”” said HAC CEO David Lipsetz. “It brings over 600 local leaders and practitioners together to learn from each other and share our passion for building better rural communities. We hope everyone goes home with new ideas for their work, and that they are excited to work with HAC to make them a reality!”

For more information on the HAC Conference, download the HAC Trainings App, access photos from the event here, visit HAC’s YouTube channel where content from the Conference will be posted, and check back with www.ruralhome.org for any additional updates about HAC and the Rural Housing Conference.

About the Housing Assistance Council
The Housing Assistance Council helps build homes and communities across rural America. Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., HAC is a national nonprofit and a certified community development financial institution dedicated to helping local rural organizations build affordable homes by providing below-market financing, technical assistance, training, research, and information services. To learn more, visit www.ruralhome.org.

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Rural Veterans and Local Nonprofits Receive Housing Support

Funded by The Home Depot Foundation

Washington, D.C., September 21, 2018 – Veterans and their families in eleven rural communities will have better lives, thanks to The Home Depot Foundation and the Housing Assistance Council. The Foundation is awarding grants totaling $306,500 to eleven local nonprofit housing associations around the country to build or preserve housing for veterans in rural America.

The funds are part of The Home Depot Foundation’s Veteran Housing Grants Program, which wascreated to support the development and repair of housing for veterans. Too many American veterans and their families face major housing challenges, aggravated by issues like unemployment, age and service-related disabilities. The Home Depot Foundation is dedicated to giving back to those who have already given so much for our country.

As part of its Affordable Housing for Rural Veterans Initiative, the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) works with The Foundation to administer these grants. “Rural America is home to a disproportionately higher number of service women and men who have earned and deserve a decent, affordable place to call home,” said David Lipsetz, HAC’s CEO. “HAC is proud to continue its partnership with The Home Depot Foundation in its effort to support local nonprofit groups to ensure that veterans in rural America receive much deserved housing assistance.” HAC builds the capacity of local housing nonprofits to assist more veterans and others in their communities.

The grantee organizations – described below – provide a range of programs. With the grants, veterans who own homes in Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, New Mexico, New York, Ohio and Tennessee, will obtain shelter and critical repair assistance. In addition, new housing units will be constructed for six veterans in Arizona. Altogether, more than 80 veterans and their families will benefit from these grants.

About The Home Depot Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation works to improve the homes and lives of U.S. veterans, train skilled tradespeople to fill the labor gap and support communities impacted by natural disasters. Since 2011, the Foundation has invested a quarter of a billion dollars in veteran-related causes and improved more than 40,000 veteran homes and facilities in 2,500 cities. In 2018, the Foundation committed an additional $50 million dollars to train 20,000 skilled tradespeople over the next 10 years starting with separating military members and veterans, at-risk youth and members of the Atlanta Westside community. To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation and see Team Depot in action, visit thd.co/community and follow us on Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram @teamdepot and on Facebook at facebook.com/teamdepot.


About the Grantees

  • Catholic Charities, Inc,in Phoenix, AZ will use $30,000 to leverage the construction of six (6) transitional units in Mohave County. For additional information about Catholic Charities visit catholiccharitiesaz.org.
  • Crystal Towers Women’s and Children’s Shelter, in Sandusky, Ohio will utilize $6,500 to support the construstion of six (6) single family veteran homes in Huron County. For additional information about Crystal Towers Women’s and Children’s Shelter visit www.facebook.com/crystaltower.
  • Green House Ministries, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee will utilize $30,000 to perform critical repairs on eight (8) veteran-owned homes in rural Tennessee. For additional information about Green House Ministries, visit greenhousemin.org.
  • Jerry Ambrose Veteran Council, in Kingman, AZ will utilize $30,000 to support the repair and rehabilitation of a 12-unit transitional housing complex in rural Arizona . For additonal information about Jerry Abmrose Veterans Council, visit www.javc.org.
  • Magnolia Community Development Corporation (CDC), in Opelousas, Louisiana, will leverage $30,000 to perform critical homeowner repairs on seven (7) veteran homes St. Landry and Lafayette Parishes. For additional information about Magnolia CDC, visit magnoliacdc.org.
  • Mountain T.O.P., Inc.,in Altamont, Tennessee, will utilize $30,000 to support critical rehabilitaiton and repairs on four (4) veteran single-family housing units in Grundy County. For additional information about Mountain T.O.P., Inc., visit mountain-top.org.
  • New Foundation Development, Inc., in Calhoun, Georgia will utilize $30,000 to support the rehabilitation and repairs to three (3) veteran single-family housing units in Gordon County. For additional information about New Foundatoin Devep, visit NFDinc.org.
  • Northwest Regional Housing Authority, Harrison, Arkansas, will utilize $30,000 to perform homeowner repairs on 14 single-family veteran homes throughout its three-county service area. For additional information about Northwest Regional Housing Authority, visit nwregionalhousing.org.
  • Tierra del Sol Housing Development Corporation (TDS) in Las Cruces, New Mexico, will utilize $30,000 to support the rehabilitation of 10 single-family housing units throughout its seven county service area. For more information about TDS, visit tdshc.org.
  • Veterans & Community Housing Coalition (VCHC), in Ballston Spa, NY will utilize $30,000 to support critical repairs to 11 units of transitional housing in Saratoga County. For more informaiton about VCHC, visit www.vchcny.org.
  • White Mountain Apache Housing Authority, in Whiteriver, Arizona, will utilize $30,000 to repair three (3) veteran homes on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. For more information about White Mountain Apache Housing Authority visit wmahousingauthority.org.

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HAC Awards $2,250,000 for Affordable Rental Housing in Louisiana

Contact: James McGraw, james@ruralhome.org, 202-842-8600
Dan Stern, dan@ruralhome.org, 202-842-8600

Washington, DC, August 17, 2018 – The Housing Assistance Council (HAC), in conjunction with the Louisiana Housing Corporation, is partnering with Noah Arc Community Development Corporation, Inc. (NACD) to build 18 affordable rental homes in Minden, Webster Parish, Louisiana. HAC will finance this project using its Rural Housing Loan Fund.

NACD’s mission is to provide affordable housing for faith-based organizations. NACD has provided development consulting on approximately 10 affordable housing projects located throughout California, Louisiana, and Texas. The HAC Loan Funds will be used in the development of the Noah Arc Townhome Project. The first phase, Mindenville Homes , will consist of eighteen 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom townhome style affordable rental units contained within six buildings. All homes will feature energy efficient appliances and low flow bathroom fixtures. Construction will begin in Fall of 2018.

“HAC is pleased to team up with Noah Arc Community Development Corporation, Inc. and continue our commitment to working in the Delta,” says David Lipsetz, HAC’s CEO. “We are thrilled to bring NACD into our community of partner organizations working to develop affordable housing across the United States.”

HAC’s Loan Fund makes short-term loans at below market interest rates to local nonprofits, for-profits, and government entities developing affordable housing for low-income rural residents throughout the United States and territories. Loans from these funds are used for a wide variety of housing development purposes, for all types of affordable and mixed income housing projects, and for both rental and ownership units. For more information, contact James McGraw at 202- 842-8600 or visit www.ruralhome.org/lending.

About the Housing Assistance Council
The Housing Assistance Council helps build homes and communities across rural America. Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., HAC is a national nonprofit and a certified community development financial institution dedicated to helping local rural organizations build affordable homes by providing below-market financing, technical assistance, training, research, and information services. To learn more, visit www.ruralhome.org.

HAC research explores the possibilities for improved mortgage finance on reservations

Contact: Christina Davila, christinad@ruralhome.org, 202-842-8600
Dan Stern, dan@ruralhome.org, 202-842-8600

Washington, D.C., May 22, 2018- HAC’s recently released rural research report, Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities for Mortgage Finance in Indian Country, confirms mortgage lending activity is limited on many reservations and explores possible solutions to addressing the issues. The current lending conditions on many reservation lands include low origination rates, high denial rates, and involve a high proportion of loans for manufactured homes.

The report provides a sweeping picture of the mortgage market on reservations, where:

  • Fewer than 1,000 mortgage loans are made annually
  • Nearly half of mortgage loan applications are denied annually
  • Almost one-fifth of homes are manufactured homes
  • Two of the 20 largest-volume lenders are Native-owned institutions

Considering the findings in this report, HAC recommends that efforts to address the challenges of mortgage lending on reservations include improvements in education of lenders and borrowers, expanding the capacity of tribes, small lenders, and federal regulators, better targeted financial policies, and increased access to data.

“HAC is proud to present this report said David Lipsetz, HAC’s Executive Director. “This report improves our understanding of mortgage lending on tribal reservations and for Native American people, and we look forward to expanding our efforts to better serve organizations providing housing on tribal lands. HAC would like to thank the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation for their support of this research.”

“This report is a great resource for anyone working in housing on reservations,’ said Marvin Ginn, Executive Director of Native Community Finance based in Laguna, New Mexico. “It illustrates the challenges we face as housers for Native American populations, and provides recommendations that can help ease those challenges. This sort of research can help us better target our efforts and improve our work on reservations.”

HAC will present a more detailed analysis of the findings, and how they impact real-world practitioners in a webinar training on Wednesday, May 23, 2018 at 2 PM Eastern.

About the Housing Assistance Council
The Housing Assistance Council helps build homes and communities across rural America. Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., HAC is a national nonprofit dedicated to helping local rural organizations build affordable homes by providing below-market financing, technical assistance, training, research, and information services. To learn more, visit www.ruralhome.org.
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