Nehemiah: Making the American Dream possible for first-time homeowners

From CBS News: The Nehemiah project began in the 1980s building privately-owned homes on land that nobody wanted in East Brooklyn and sold the homes at prices that were affordable to working class families. Church and community organizers mobilized local politicians to sell the land for almost nothing and provide subsidies for community members and raise money that could be used for loans. The program has built 6,500 homes and created an estimated $1.5 billion of wealth for first time Black and Latino homeowners.

Click here to read the original story.

Issue Areas:

Housing, Land Use, Sustainable Development

Impact Areas:

Distributed Trust and Power, Equity

Actors:

BIPOC Communities, Lending, Banking, and Financial Institutions

Communities Served:

BIPOC Communities, Communities Experiencing Economic Hardship

Strategies:

Collective Action, Easing Economic Burdens for Individuals, Redefining Land / Land Ownership

Success Factors:

Building Distribution Systems, Eliminating Barriers, Embracing the Power of Relationships, Leveling the Playing Field, Meeting People Where They Are At, Overcoming the Big Challenges

Geographic Region:

North America

Countries:

United Kingdom

Date:

September 11, 2022

More Resources:

Conversation with Eli Moore

Eli Moore is Director of the Community Power and Policy Partnerships Program (formerly the California Community Partnerships Program) at the Othering & Belonging Institute. Over the last twenty years, Eli has facilitated numerous participatory action research processes and published various...

Conversation with Ana Rosa de Lima

Ana Rosa de Lima is the founder of Meli Bees Network gUG, a nonprofit driven by a new generation of climate activists from the Amazon. Her organization is dedicated to connecting Indigenous communities, researchers, and environmentally engaged groups around the...

The Guaranteed Income Program That’s Helping Black Moms – and Trying to Change the World

From Candice Helfand-Rogers / The Story Exchange: In Jackson, Mississippi, the nonprofit-run Magnolia Mother’s Trust is a guaranteed income program providing a no-strings-attached monthly stipend of $1,000 to Black mothers living in affordable housing to help them combat poverty. Click...

Slowly but surely, Kigali city is reclaiming streets for people

From Nadia Lobti / The New Times: Twice a month the city of Kigali has a “Car Free Day,” a program that reduces air and noise pollution while simultaneously encouraging residents to be more active via walking, biking, and other...

Conversation with Gus Hagelberg

Gus Hagelberg is a native of California and has lived in Southern Germany for over 30 years with his wife and three children. Gus studied political science in both California and Tübingen, Germany where he earned his Master’s Degree. He...

Can Guaranteed Income Prevent Gentrification?

From Oscar Perry Abello / NextCity: In Louisville, community organizers are betting that a guaranteed income program will reduce community violence in disinvested neighborhoods – and protect against displacement of residents. Read the original story here. Find other articles about...