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:

Conversation with Matt Prewitt

Matthew Prewitt is RadicalxChange Foundation’s president, a writer and blockchain industry advisor, and a former plaintiff’s side antitrust and consumer class action litigator and federal law clerk. Prewitt spoke with Ashley Hopkinson on January 25, 2024. Click here to read the...

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....

What America can learn from Canada’s new ‘$10 a Day’ child care system

From Jackie Mader / The Hechinger Report: The $10 a Day initiative, which started in British Columbia and is now being expanded throughout Canada, subsidizes child care centers so that tuition for families can be capped at a more affordable...

The Women Leading a Social Revolution in Syria’s Rojava

From Lucy Clarke-Billings / Newsweek: The Committee of Diplomacy of Kongreya Star is a women’s organization in Rojava Syria that aims to liberate women in the region by adding women into all sectors of local life including education, the economy,...

What if debt was written off to protect climate and nature?

From India Bourke / BBC: Debt-for-nature or debt-for-climate swaps are financial tools that allow indebted countries to refinance their debt and use the money saved to restore ecosystems and build environmental resilience. Ecuador, with the help of Credit-Suisse and the...

Conversation with Luis Camargo

Luis Camargo is the Founder and Director of the Organization for Environmental Education and Protection (OpEPA). OpEPA is a non-profit organization that holds registrations in both Colombia and the USA and is dedicated to promoting nature-based and regenerative education, heritage...