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:

How financial counseling at the pediatrician’s office can help families thrive

From Pien Huang / NPR: In an effort to improve child healthcare, a program at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center matches low-income families with financial coaches when they come in for their child’s appointments. The coaches help them address financial stressors,...

Conversation with Allison Duettmann

Allison Duettmann is the president and CEO of Foresight Institute. She directs the Intelligent Cooperation, Molecular Machines, Biotech & Health Extension, Neurotech, and Space Programs, Fellowships, Prizes, and Tech Trees, and shares this work with the public. She founded Existentialhope.com,...

Conversation with Cassandra Ferrera

Through the work of ethical land transitions, Cassandra works to transform conventional real estate practice in service to Land, cultural reunion, and reparative justice. Becoming a person of place is Cassandra’s orienting cosmology, and her activist real estate career is...

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...

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...

New Indonesia climate fund backs Indigenous forest guardians

From Asad Asnawi / Context: The Nusantra Fund provides financial support directly to community-led projects in Indonesia. The aim is to improve the livelihoods of Indigenous and local people while tackling climate change impacts and protecting biodiversity. Click here to...