NeighborWorks® America’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) held a convening in Miami Beach this month, part of the NeighborWorks Training Institute. The lessons from panel discussions to in-depth conversations will last long after the event.  

Everything rises and falls on leadership, said Dan Ellis, CEO of NHS of Baltimore, “It’s the key to everything we do.” 

He looks at leadership training like this: If your staff is such a large part of your budget, then not investing in them to help them be “as good as they can be” is just plain foolish.

As longtime community development leaders begin to retire, a new generation must carry the wave forward.

NeighborWorks® America’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) have a significant impact on the nation’s housing and on businesses.

Housing is a part of America’s story. Shelter, after all, is integral to our survival.

Since the nation was first formed, people moved with opportunities. They still do. And the housing needs in each region have depended on the region itself. From city apartments to suburban single-family homes, from farmhouses to farm worker housing, our dwellings and communities vary. What does not vary is the desire to have a safe place to call home.

Data tells a story.

At NeighborWorks® America, the data tells the story of new homeowners. It tells the story of homes repaired and of communities working together to make their neighborhoods what they want them to be. It tells the story of families and individuals connecting to education, to jobs and to better health, all by finding a safe place to call home.

NeighborWorks’ annual impact report highlights the data of NeighborWorks and the network – and the stories behind it.

What’s the best way to get closer to the American Dream of homeownership?

“Housing counseling,” agreed panelists for a National Housing Council webinar held Tuesday and sponsored by NeighborWorks® America. Financial education and partnerships are also key as families work to build wealth they can pass on to future generations.

Try hiring a builder in Keyes, Oklahoma. This rural town sits more than four hours from Oklahoma City, and few construction workers will make that drive. Even those who do face additional time and fuel costs as they travel to and from the nearest lumber supplier. So the housing that exists in areas like this just grows older and  more scarce. 

Every community-based affordable housing organization eventually faces the same question: How do you help more families when the need keeps growing but your capacity doesn’t?