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:

Portland group works to make wealth redistribution a reality through real estate

From Tiffany Camhi / OPB: Volunteers of the PDX Housing Solidarity Project are working to redistribute generational wealth through homeownership in Portland. The project connects people with ample resources to Black and Indigenous homebuyers and helps facilitate cash gifts, no-interest...

Conversation with Tariq Al-Olaimy

Tariq Al-Olaimy is the co-founder of Recipes for Wellbeing, a non-profit dedicated to fostering the wellbeing and resilience of impact organizations worldwide. Through his work at the intersection of the Systemic Sacred, Tariq integrates faith, sustainability, and systemic change to...

Conversation with Lais Fleury

Laís Fleury has twenty years of experience as a social entrepreneur and has been a Fellow of Ashoka Social Entrepreneurs since 2003. Over the last decade, Laís has been working for Alana, advocating for the right of every child to...

Conversation with Ignacio Saiz

Ignacio Saiz is an independent consultant and advisor on issues of human rights and economic justice. He previously served as Executive Director of the Center for Economic and Social Rights, an international NGO that works for a rights-based economy, and...

Conversation with Ledama Masidza

Ledama Masidza is an emerging young Kenyan leader in marine conservation and community empowerment, fueled by an unwavering love for the ocean. Advocating for sustainability, Ledama drives transformative initiatives that champion community-led conservation and sustainable policies. Ledama Masidza spoke with...

Conversation with Joshua Amponsem

Joshua Amponsem, a Ghanaian climate activist, is the Co-Director of the Youth Climate Justice Fund initiative and former Climate Lead at the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth. With over eight years of experience in climate action, disaster...