Mel Willie is NeighborWorks America's new director of Native Partnerships and Strategy. He began this position in May 2022 to help expand NeighborWorks' investment in Tribal communities, and has spent his first six months speaking, listening and problem-solving as he's talked with representatives around the network. Willie comes to NeighborWorks with more than 23 years of experience in nonprofit management, government, political, public and intergovernmental affairs.

 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. 

The new year is a time when people often look ahead. They talk about their hopes, their resolutions, the things they want to achieve in the coming 365 days. On the cusp of the new year, we asked NeighborWorks America's senior vice presidents to share some of their hopes and wishes for 2022. 

The active engagement of community residents is at the core of many NeighborWorks network organizations. But how do you make sure that the resident involvement is effective? How do you make sure you, as a community-serving professional, are approaching the residents in an authentic way?

In a video released this week, Pandemic Response: Perspectives on Housing, national leaders in housing development provided the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development with an in-depth look on the way COVID-19 has affected residents – and on the effectiveness of pandemic response programs as they relate to housing. Staying housed during this time is recognized as a public health issue.

Susan M. Ifill has been NeighborWorks America's executive vice president and chief operating officer for just over a year now – and what a year it's been! She brought with her more than 35 years of nonprofit and private sector experience, most recently serving as CEO of Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City Inc., a NeighborWorks organization.

Shirley Sherrod is a familiar name to those who know about community land trusts (CLTs), entities where a nonprofit corporation owns the land, keeping it affordable, while community members own the homes that rest upon it. Sherrod, who is speaking Wednesday, Feb.

When Evelyn Harrison learned her apartment building in Southeast Washington, D.C., was being sold she was shocked. "We were surprised because we never heard anything about it," says Evelyn.