Housing Industry Federal Funding Opportunities

Featured now on the nw.org funding opportunities page:

• Green Retrofit Program for Multifamily Housing - now accepting applications on first come first serve basis
• Neighborhood Stabilization Program — Deadline July 17
• Economic Development Administration Grants - Deadline Sept. 30

Learn more about these and other opportunities

Are You Ready for a Lease-Purchase Program?

Lease-Purchase is an increasingly more common neighborhood stabilization approach. A new resource from NeighborWorks America includes a five-point checklist for organizations that are thinking of adopting a lease-purchase program and examples of different program models. The questions posed in this report are meant to help organizations avoid common mistakes in developing a lease-purchase program. Download the report, Are You Ready for a Lease-Purchase Program?

At Risk Teens Impacted by Community Building

KLS.com in Salt Lake City, Utah, recently reported on a NeighborWorks Salt Lake program called YouthWorks that offers teens at risk a paycheck, a chance to grow personally, and help improve their neighborhood. YouthWorks follows a gang intervention model that creates opportunities and builds stronger neighborhoods.

The KLS.com report focused on a work crew of 10 teens that are putting the finishing touches on a home that was deteriorating and vacant. The young men in YouthWorks had gutted it and rebuilt it, to put it on the market.

View video and read the article.

HUD Honors NeighborWorks Great Falls Executive Director Sheila Rice

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently presented NeighborWorks Great Falls Executive Director Sheila Rice with an award recognizing her accomplishments in foreclosure prevention and strengthening homeownership programs. HUD's Lyle Konkol presented the award to Rice, and said she was a "dynamic leader at the helm" of NeighborWorks Great Falls.

NeighborWorks America Chief Operating Officer Eileen Fitzgerald has said this about Sheila: “She is a true champion of the brand, 'NeighborWorks.' She is always looking for ways to raise the visibility of the brand. She has been instrumental in leading the way to get NeighborWorks organizations to think about new ways to approach service delivery. Where some folks might see a problem or a challenge, Sheila thinks creatively about how to achieve impact and develops strategic solutions that turn a challenge into an opportunity."

AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteers to Work with NeighborWorks Organizations in Local Communities

NeighborWorks America announces 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.

Find out more about NeighborWorks' VISTA sponsorship.

Learn more about the AmeriCorps VISTA program, including how you or your organization can become involved.