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:

Can Guaranteed Income Prevent Gentrification?

From Oscar Perry Abello / NextCity: In Louisville, community organizers are betting that a guaranteed income program will reduce community violence in disinvested neighborhoods – and protect against displacement of residents. Read the original story here. Find other articles about...

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...

The Radical Idea of Making Sure Everybody Has Enough Money to Live On

From Laura Paddison / Huffington Post: The results of a universal basic income (UBI) program in Kenya show the positive ripple effect of giving everyone money on a consistent basis over the course of several years. Recipients have been able...

Conversation with Anita Chandra

Anita Chandra (she/her) is vice president and director of RAND Social and Economic Well-Being and a senior policy researcher at RAND. The division that she leads covers a range of topics at the intersection of social and economic policy and...

A revolution in helping Africa’s poor: Cash with no strings attached

From Katharine Houreld / The Washington Post: GiveDirectly runs a program that gives a lump sum of cash directly to those in need, without needing to qualify with other specifications (such as school enrollment or vaccination status). Lump sum funds...

Emirates Global Aluminium seeks to enhance all-round sustainability

From Gulf Today: Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the UAE outside oil and gas, is among the first corporations in the region to open sustainable corporate bank accounts, which ensure cash balances are used to finance or...