Staff members at NeighborWorks Home Partners hold a banner that reads “Working Together for Strong Communities” as they kick off NeighborWorks Week 2021.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 2021
June is for Celebration at NeighborWorks Home Partners
NeighborWorks Week and Homeownership Month are a time to reflect on 40 years of Supporting Homeownership
June is always a busy month in the real estate world, and that’s no exception at nonprofit homeownership center NeighborWorks Home Partners (NWHP). The organization, part of NeighborWorks America, observes Homeownership Month and NeighborWorks Week annually. This year, it’s extra special as NWHP marks its 40th anniversary .
NeighborWorks Week, celebrated by nearly 250 affiliated organizations throughout the United States, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico, recognizes the efforts of local organizations working with partners and volunteers to create healthier communities.
This year, NeighborWorks Week was recognized with proclamations from Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, the Saint Paul City Council, and the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners, declaring June 5-12 “NeighborWorks Week” in the City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County.
In addressing the City Council, Jason Peterson, NeighborWorks Home Partners’ Chief Executive Officer, said that the founding of the organization was an example of the community strength that the week is intended to highlight.
“NeighborWorks Week is a celebration of community, and recognition that when neighbors work together, they can build communities that are stronger, more resilient, and more equitable for everyone,” said Peterson,
“Our organization started with an idea and a dream,” he continued. “Some residents of the West Side of Saint Paul wanted to create a local organization to make affordable home improvement financing available to their neighbors.”
In 1981, what was then known as West Side Neighborhood Housing Services made its first loan, for $5319.65 to make repairs on a house on East Curtice Street.
Since that first loan, NWHP have grown its mission to supporting homeownership at every stage. They now help just under a thousand households each year, with resources like homebuyer education, down payment assistance, single family housing development, and, when times get tough, foreclosure prevention.
NWHP observes Homeownership Month by offering its Home Stretch homebuyer workshops free of charge in June. For more information, visit https://nwhomepartners.org/homestretch
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About NeighborWorks Home Partners
Access to homeownership can impact a family’s well-being for generations. NeighborWorks Home Partners’ mission is to empower individuals and communities by helping people buy, fix, and keep their homes. Now in its 40th year, the nonprofit homeownership center offers a full range of services to support equitable, successful, and sustainable homeownership, including down payment assistance, homebuyer education, individual homebuyer advising, home improvement financing, refinance counseling, and foreclosure intervention. We are able to provide all of our services in English and Hmong, with select programming in Karen.
NWHP is part of the national NeighborWorks network, an affiliation of nearly 250 nonprofit organizations located in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In fiscal year 2020, the NeighborWorks network provided more than 438,600 housing and counseling services; owned and managed 179,900 rental homes; and created 43,810 jobs. The NeighborWorks network was founded and is supported by NeighborWorks America, which creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities.
