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 Ai-jen Poo

Ai-jen Poo is the President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Director of Caring Across Generations. A nationally recognized expert on elder care, family care, the future of work, gender equality, immigration, and grassroots organizing, she is also the...

Conversation with Michael Sani

Michael Sani is the founder of Play Verto, a platform that leverages play and gamification to transform traditional research and foster a sense of belonging among its players. With over 12 years of experience in strategizing and co-creating initiatives for...

Conversation with Luke Shankland

Luke Shankland is a South African/Canadian professional with over 20 years of experience in health tech, focusing on scaling impactful health solutions across Africa. As co-founder and COO of Aviro Health, he has led initiatives that have provided digital health...

Conversation with Sheeza Shah

Sheeza Shah is Founder and Managing Director of UpEffect, a crowdfunding and social impact consultancy shaping a benevolent economy through equitable finance and strategy. Sheeza has spent the past decade in the tech, non-profit, and social enterprise world project managing...

What if debt was written off to protect climate and nature?

From India Bourke / BBC: Debt-for-nature or debt-for-climate swaps are financial tools that allow indebted countries to refinance their debt and use the money saved to restore ecosystems and build environmental resilience. Ecuador, with the help of Credit-Suisse and the...

Conversation with Kumi Naidoo

Kumi Naidoo is a prominent South African human rights and environmental justice activist. Naidoo spoke with Ashley Hopkinson on December 15, 2023. Click here to read the full conversation with insights highlighted. Ashley Hopkinson: Can you introduce yourself and tell...