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:

The Guaranteed Income Program That’s Helping Black Moms – and Trying to Change the World

From Candice Helfand-Rogers / The Story Exchange: In Jackson, Mississippi, the nonprofit-run Magnolia Mother’s Trust is a guaranteed income program providing a no-strings-attached monthly stipend of $1,000 to Black mothers living in affordable housing to help them combat poverty. Click...

Dubai becomes world’s first paperless government

From Varun Godinho / Gulf Business: The government of Dubai became the world’s first paperless government with all 45 government entities providing digital services. Becoming entirely digital has been more efficient for public service delivery and reduces harmful environmental impacts....

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...

Conversation with Gus Hagelberg

Gus Hagelberg is a native of California and has lived in Southern Germany for over 30 years with his wife and three children. Gus studied political science in both California and Tübingen, Germany where he earned his Master’s Degree. He...

Conversation with Jonathon Freeman

Jonathon Freeman is a founding member of the Native Roots Network, an Indigenous community development organization that, most notably, has curated and organized Our Story: Native Art Exhibitions, advocated for Indigenous cultural revitalization, the protection of Indigenous lands and sacred...

Conversation with Antonio Lyons

Antonio Lyons, Director of Georgetown University’s Racial Justice Institute’s EnActors, is a multi-disciplinary artist and Applied Theatre Practitioner blending poetry, music, and movement. A Fulbright Awardee and Oregon Shakespeare Festival Producing Fellow, he created We Are Here, a social activism...