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:

4-Day Workweek Boosted Workers’ Productivity By 40%, Microsoft Japan Says

From Bill Chappell / NPR: Microsoft Japan experimented with a 4-day work week over the summer. Employees enjoyed three-day weekends but received normal paychecks. The company reported a 40% boost in productivity. Read the original story here. Read more work-focused...

Conversation with Noor Jehan Docrat

Noor Jehan is an Inclusive Innovator and Blue Economy specialist, leading community development programs across Africa. With extensive experience in various sectors in South Africa, Southeast Asia, and the UK, Noor Jehan is passionate about working with communities to create...

How cash transfer beneficiaries build wealth in Kwara

From The Nation: A guaranteed income program in Nigeria is helping recipients build businesses, expand existing ones, and build equity. Click here to read the original story. Read more original stories on income programs.

...

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...

How the Philippines tapped on open-source to implement digital identity and improve services

From Yen Ocampo & Yong Shu Chiang / GovInsider: A national identification system called PhilSys has been rolled out in the Philippines in order to create access to social benefits and digital services. Future services may include but are not...

How Bogotá cares for its family caregivers: From dance classes to job training

From Rhitu Chatterjee / NPR: A unique program in Bogotá called Manzanas del Cuidado (Care Blocks) provides free activities and services to unpaid caregivers in local neighborhoods. These services span everything from wellness classes to professional training to educational courses....