Seventy-two hours prior to the arrival of Hurricane Irma — then a Category 4 storm that had carved a destructive path through numerous Caribbean islands — staff members at Rural Neighborhoods Inc. (RNI) worked to shutter nearly 1,000 rental homes on Florida's west and east coasts and urged residents to evacuate.


 

It took only one hour to change Francisco "Tony" Moran's life.  Since he was about 6 years old, Moran grew up in New Mexico's Hatch Valley, working on farms alongside his parents and siblings. However, Moran's parents wanted more for their children and emphasized getting a good education.

As a nontraditional student and tribal member, Stanton Alexander's first choice of schools was White Earth Tribal and Community College. "I felt welcome right away," he said.
 

Mickey Beach, CEO, NeighborWorks Umpqua
Dennis Bartlett, director of Heartwood ReSources
NeighborWorks Umpqua's wholly owned subsidiary/social enterprise Heartwood ReSources

Kimberly Brumber, President and CEO, NeighborWorks Community Partners

Clemente Mojica, CEO
Tyler Wolfe, Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator
Jennifer Rivera, Fund Development Assistant
Neighborhood Partnership Housing Services

Dan Ellis, executive director, Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore

Stephanie Preusch, Executive Director, Neighborhood Finance Corp.

Challenge: Polk County, Iowa, faced a challenge: People who had the ability to be mobile moved. Those who didn't were stuck in housing too expensive to maintain. When they couldn't do it anymore, absentee owners bought the property up, converted them to small apartments and milked them.

Joan Carty, President and CEO
Suchana Costa, Innovations Analyst
Housing Development Fund

Jesse Ergott, President and CEO, NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania