Most Black Americans know the history and the legacy of June 19, 1865, the day Union troops finally reached Galveston, Texas, announcing that enslaved people had been freed – a full two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. The celebratory day, which became known as Juneteenth, became a federal holiday in 2021. At that time, only 37% of American adults knew what the holiday meant.

Housing and Neighborhood Development Services (HANDS) in New Jersey is a nonprofit with an average of just six employees. But being part of NeighborWorks’ AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program means the organization can do more. The VISTA program pairs full-time volunteers with service positions meant to make an impact in education, economic opportunity and environmental stewardship.

Housing and Neighborhood Development Services (HANDS) in New Jersey is a nonprofit with an average of just six employees. But being part of NeighborWorks’ AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program means the organization can do more. The VISTA program pairs full-time volunteers with service positions meant to make an impact in education, economic opportunity and environmental stewardship.

An outreach team at Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore is working on "doorknockers" and postcards to let the community know they're ready to provide foreclosure assistance and prevention.

 In January 2021, NeighborWorks America started its Stop Home Scams initiative to raise awareness about housing scams, which often become more prevalent during times of economic hardship. Focusing on regions with high foreclosure rates, NeighborWorks America engaged network organizations to help spread the word. With the ending of pandemic evictions and foreclosure moratoria, network leaders continue to be concerned about a rise in scams. 

"Alianza" means "alliance" in Spanish and it’s the name for a group of Latinx leaders and future leaders in the NeighborWorks network who meet to discuss issues that are important to all of them. They talk about challenges, says coordinator Maria Garciaz, CEO of NeighborWorks Salt Lake. And they talk about solutions.
 

Growing up in New York, Jessica Padilla Gonzalez watched the way her parents fostered community. The two of them had come to New York's Washington Heights from Puerto Rico as teenagers. When he was in his early 20s, Padilla Gonzalez's father, Porfirio, opened a meat market. "Everyone knew his

When Michelle Swittenberg began looking for a place to locate BRWL, her boxing and yoga studio, she wanted to settle in Orange, New Jersey. She'd found that most of the studios were located in more of the higher income areas, like Milburn or Short Hills, when working out on her own. "It was important for me to get people to come to Orange," she says. "This keeps money in the neighborhood and hopefully attracts money to the neighborhood, too." 

When you attend a NeighborWorks training, there's a good chance you may see Robin Gordon. She's been learning with NeighborWorks for over 15 years. She's incorporated what she's learned into her work so much, that when she shares ideas in staff meetings, her colleagues expect her to end with "I learned that at NeighborWorks training." In fact, it's become somewhat of an office slogan. 

The application looked official. There was letterhead. And there were catch phrases like "specialized counselors" and "hardship." But a client who was assisted by Housing Partnership for Morris County stopped just short of working with the company, which would have charged him $1,300 just to begin a loan modification process. The client sought a modification due to financial stress caused by COVID-19.