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USCM Partners with Nehemiah Corporation
of California to Assist in the Rebuilding of America's Cities by Kathryn Kretschmer-Weyland A major theme throughout the summer meeting in Detroit was cities are back. Cities across America are now a driving force of the national economy. Over the past few years, people, commerce, developers, and corporate headquarters have relocated to the United States major cities such as Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. Cities that were once abandoned by businesses and residents alike, moving into suburbs and farther and farther from the heart of America's cities, have made a comeback and are now the center of culture, entertainment, thriving businesses, and financial success. For the nation's cities, things are changing for the better. But with change and progress also comes the realization that many of the problems that caused people to leave the city are still present and must be dealt with. Cities are still challenged by abandoned buildings and homes, urban blight, and inflatable housing costs. In Detroit, Scott Syphax, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Nehemiah Corporation of California and the leading provider of down payment assistance to low and middle income families announced plans to help address this national dilemma with a new partnership with the United States Conference of Mayors. The Nehemiah Corporation will be joining with the United States Conference of Mayors in a partnership to rebuild cities from the inside out. Under the direction of the United States Conference of Mayors, the purpose of this partnership will be used to empower mayors and city officials by providing public information on how their citizens can improve and empower their communities. Founded in 1995, the Nehemiah Corporation has provided down payment assistance to more than 85,000 families in over 4,200 cities nationwide. To date, Nehemiah has "gifted" approximately $278 million in down payments to first time homebuyers resulting in more that $8 billion in home sales. Conference Executive Director J. Thomas Cochran applauded Nehemiah's creation of a new $1 million pilot program called the Nehemiah Urban Land Trust (NULT) with four pilot cities: Atlanta, Charlotte, Baltimore, and Indianapolis. Modeled after nature conservation land trusts, initially NULT will provide assistance to agencies in these four pilot cities that offer a housing component to its service programs. NULT will purchase the properties that house these organizations providing a stable and secure environment for the organizations as well as empowering them to manage and maintain their facilities. "Nehemiah's grant will help to ensure that social programs have permanent housing thereby making them accessible to the people who utilize those services. Consistency is important in service delivery and with agencies in the four cities being able to maintain their same location, that process will be greatly enhanced," said Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley. The announcement of NULT was coupled with the creation of a strategic partnership between USCM and Nehemiah. In addition to its NULT and down payment assistance program, Nehemiah will work with Mayors to develop unused, underdeveloped land and renovate abandoned and dilapidated buildings to create affordable housing for families, individuals and fledging social service programs. "We will host a series of roundtable discussions that bring together Mayors, local business and community leaders, government leaders, along with members of the lending and financial community, to discuss other urban renewal issues such as Brownfields, reinvestment fund, open space preservation, and much more. The primary goal of course, is to encourage people to buy homes in neglected areas of the city, and take pride in their new home ownership and improving their surrounding neighborhood," said Scott Syphax, CEO and President of the Nehemiah Corporation, as he addressed the body of Mayors and attendees at the national conference on Sunday. "With these roundtables we will create and implement strategies to rebuild America's cities," Syphax stated. As partners, the United States Conference of Mayors and Nehemiah will work to find ways for urban residents to have access to safe and affordable housing, restore public land in cities through commercial and affordable housing developments, help renters become buyers, all of which strengthen our urban communities and allow cities to continue to prosper. This partnership will be committed to ensuring that cities are vibrant centers of commerce and provide opportunity for all individuals, as well as for regional and national growth. |
