The path to affordable homeownership is longer than it used to be. Interest rates are higher. Coming up with a down payment is harder. And there's less affordable housing stock available, especially for low- and moderate-income residents looking for a safe place to live, according to NeighborWorks America's National Homeownership Programs & Lending staff.  

Part of NeighborWorks America's mission is ensuring that people can be safely and securely housed. But inequities have made barriers to housing — and to homeownership — especially difficult to surmount for people of color. That's why in 2022 NeighborWorks introduced a new grant, "Accelerating Homeownership for People of Color," with the help of Fifth Third Bank. 

Part of NeighborWorks America's mission is ensuring that people can be safely and securely housed. But inequities have made barriers to housing — and to homeownership — especially difficult to surmount for people of color. That's why in 2022 NeighborWorks introduced a new grant, "Accelerating Homeownership for People of Color," with the help of Fifth Third Bank. 

NeighborWorks Week, June 3-10, is a chance for NeighborWorks network organizations to connect and celebrate with residents and to highlight the ways they help empower communities for success. First celebrated in 1983, NeighborWorks Week has, for 40 years, been a time to give back to communities. This year, nearly 200 network organizations are taking part.
 

Noelia Castro Ramirez remembers the calls she got from clients in February. They'd lost income because of the pandemic and had not been able to recover, she says. "They used their savings up to the point where there was none left." Their mortgage was three months past due. "At some point, the wife cried on the phone."

NeighborWorks America released new impact data showing just how much of a difference the organization and its network are making in the field of affordable housing and community development. While the data reflects nationwide housing trends — including a limited inventory of homes and higher home prices — it also shows an increase in the number of homeowners preserved and an increase in the number of rental homes in the network.

During the pandemic, the nation realized even more the importance of a stable home, as where we live also became the place where we accessed education, healthcare and community. But disparities loomed. 

Now, as communities and individuals work to bounce back from pandemic-related economic hardships, NeighborWorks America is hosting a symposium, "Advancing Equity for People of Color: Local Solutions for Housing Stability." The symposium will include a roundtable, panels and discussions about equitable solutions for housing stability.