Dear Friends,

At a time when we are confronted with an increasing crisis around the housing affordability, the importance of homeownership has never been as critical.

More than 1 in 4 Twin Cities families are housing cost-burdened, paying more than 30% of their income just to have a place to call home. 1 in 10 Twin Cities families pays more than half of their income on housing.

This not only requires families to make difficult choices, choosing between pay for housing or other basic needs, but it also results in many families living in sub-standard housing, if they can find housing at all.

It shouldn’t be this difficult for hard-working families to have a home.

At NeighborWorks Home Partners, we are addressing this crisis.

We help families achieve their dream of homeownership, which, in the Twin Cities, is less expensive than renting and can provide stability and increase household wealth. Our homeownership counseling and advising programs help families get mortgage-ready and provide them with the knowledge for long-term success. Our down payment programs help families overcome the most common barrier to homeownership – the up-front dollars necessary to buy their home.

We preserve existing housing that is affordable to families through our home improvement programs, preventing displacement and ensuring healthy places for families to live.

Our development program rehabs existing vacant homes and builds new homes that are then sold to low-to-moderate income families so they can have a solid foundation to build from.

In the last year alone, we helped 340 families either buy, fix, or keep their homes. While we are very proud of the impact we have been able to make, we know there are many more families in need of housing support.

Please join us in confronting this housing affordability crisis head-on. Everyone deserves a place to call home.

Jason Peterson
Chief Executive Officer

Foreclosure is a harrowing process, and finding solutions can be a challenge, especially when you try to do it on your own.  One of our recent customers was able to get current on her mortgage and save her home with help from our Homeownership Advisors, Gina.

When Sasha* first contacted us, had been struggling to pay her mortgage due to a loss in income and had been trying to work with her loan servicer to get help to catch up on her mortgage or qualify for a modification.  She had applied for the modification and was denied, and did not understand why.  The explanations offered by the servicer weren’t very helpful.

At her first appointment with Gina, they worked together to contact the servicer and found out that some of Sasha’s documents were missing. This was why she had been denied.   Sasha was surprised at how well the conversation went and the details her servicer provided.  Working with an advisor, she was able to get more information than she had on her own.

From that point on, NeighborWorks staff were the intermediary whenever Sasha had questions or needed to get information to her loan servicer. Sasha worked hard at getting the requested documents and continued to work towards catching up on her payments.

But she soon learned the modification was denied again. At this point she was behind by three months.

Gina discussed options and provided referrals to find funds to catch up on her payments. Sasha applied for Emergency Assistance with the county and was able to bring her mortgage up to date, protecting and preserving her home.

If you or someone you know is struggling to pay your mortgage, don’t wait to seek help. Our foreclosure prevention services are free, confidential, and compassionate, and can help provide clarity in a confusing and often overwhelming situation.

*name changed to protect privacy

When Becky Errigo started working with Greater Frogtown Community Development Corporation (GFCDC) in 1999, she might have suspected it was a relationship meant to last. After all, her start date, August 13, was an auspicious one: her parents’ anniversary, her brother-in-law’s birthday, the day her sister started her first job, and the day she met her husband. Twenty years (and 90 units of housing) later, that turns out to be the case.

Becky joined GFCDC after meeting one of the board members, an instructor in a watercolor painting class she was taking as a creative outlet. When the instructor learned of her background in interior design and project management, she encouraged her to apply for a part-time, temporary position as Housing Development Project Manager. At that time, the organization was just four people. When GFCDC merged with Community NHS four years ago to become NeighborWorks Home Partners, Becky became the longest-serving member on a staff four times as large.

In her role as Housing Developer, Becky oversees the rehabilitation of vacant homes and the construction of new homes on vacant lots throughout the city. Her goal is to provide safe, stable, affordable, and healthy housing. And her definition of healthy includes aesthetically pleasing. She notes, “I’m really affected by my surroundings. They can greatly influence a person’s well-being, especially in children. Healthy housing is free from mold, asbestos, and lead, but it is also beautiful.”

And the work is always changing. “Every project is different – there is always a new challenge to overcome. I enjoy the problem-solving, bringing out the best in the character of the home, making sure they function well for today. And there is the problem-solving of working with different and limited funding. But you don’t have to spend a lot of money on high-end finishes to make a home beautiful.”

She loves that her work has a human connection. “For me, the best part of the job is handing over the keys to new homeowners,” Becky said. “I usually don’t meet them until closing day, and it’s uplifting to see how excited they are. For most, it’s their first home.“

In 2019, NeighborWorks Home Partners launched a sponsorship program to create more opportunities for partnerships with organizations that work to support homeownership. Seven organizations partnered with us in this initial year.

Sponsors provide financial support to underwrite programs like Home Stretch, Homebuyer Basics, Financial Wellness, and Homebuyer Pre-purchase Counseling, and also have the opportunity to contribute to instruction and host education programs on their site.

Trent Bowman of Old National Bank was one sponsor who chose to host a Home Stretch Workshop onsite at his office.

Bowman, who is vice president and community development officer at Old National Bank, notes that working with first-time homebuyers should be an opportunity to assist, support and educate. His partnership with NeighborWorks Home Partners enhanced that opportunity.

“I encourage homebuyers to take some time to research options available to them,” Bowman said. “including using resources like those offered by NeighborWorks Home Partners.”

View our audited 2018 Financials

View our most recent Form 990