NEHEMIAH PROGRAM
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : v******y@s*******l.n*t
Mission Statement
The mission of the Nehemiah Program is to see that more affordable housing becomes a reality particularly in the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan area, and through its housing programs bring about improved economic opportunities for its residents and the communities in which they exist.
About This Cause
The Program targets low- to moderate- income individuals in need of housing assistance and low-value housing (3-4 bedroom) in challenged neighborhoods hit hard by the recent real estate epidemic resulting in an overabundance of low value, vacant, abandoned and/or foreclosed properties. Our goal is to stabilize lives and communities simultaneously. With this goal it might be noted that The Nehemiah Program sees opportunity in places where others may see risk. We succeed, however, because we have experienced staff on the ground collaborating with community partners, businesses, civic leaders and various other stakeholders to respond innovatively to both community residents and neighborhood needs. Our Model and Approach The Nehemiah Program operates as a social enterprise, delivering socially responsible housing programs and services that meet the needs of the clients and communities we serve while generating revenue that is reinvested into our non-profit activities, operations and programs that provide wraparound supportive services to ensure that every family and neighborhood is highly successful in meeting their housing goals. Our social enterprise combines our passion for individual and community transformation with the precision and excellence needed to build long lasting, sustainable solutions. Our diverse Board of Directors and Advisory Board Members govern and give guidance to the nonprofit housing programs and services we provide while with the highest level of ethics and integrity incorporates world class business principals all which enable us to achieve our collective mission of creating a sustainable way to transform lives and communities simultaneously. We are able to achieve this goal because The Nehemiah Program aggregates capital from a variety of sources to support neighborhood development. We have a diversified funding strategy that seeks to generate 65%-75% of our revenue through program income (rental and property sales) and additionally leverages grants, in-kind donations and volunteerism through partnerships with Banks, foundations, local businesses, and individuals that invest both financial and human capital. The Nehemiah Program then uses and reuses these funds to finance our three housing initiatives—transitional housing, rental housing and home ownership opportunities. With this approach, we have created one of the most cost-effective affordable housing strategies in the region because to-date: • 98% of the housing stock we acquire is donated reducing our cost dramatically • We have an unprecedented amount of volunteers on both the professional and nonprofessional level that provide in-kind services as well as sweat equity that drastically reduces the cost of both organizational staffing and contracted labor, and finally, • More than 25% of our building materials are donated by Home Depot In essence, every dollar invested in The Nehemiah Program yields about $30 of direct community investment. Products and Services Since our inception in April 2011, THE NEHEMIAH PROGRAM worked with the National Community Stabilization Trust REO Donation Program that serves as an intermediary for six major banking entities to acquire scattered foreclosed properties whereas eligible foreclosed properties are donated to eligible nonprofit affordable housing agencies. The only stipulation for these donations are that they are rehabbed and marketed to low- to moderate-income individuals and families for the purposes of stabilizing local communities in the provision of transitional, emergency and permanent housing and home ownership opportunities. To date the organization has acquired and made available 165 homes for rental and home ownership opportunities. THE NEHEMIAH PROGRAM renovates properties and make them available to low- to moderate-income families as transitional rental property, home ownership opportunities and operates four group transitional houses to help those who are not yet prepared for the rental and home ownership experience. The Nehemiah Program wishes to expand its housing program in stages over the next five years. With this in mind, The Nehemiah Program created The Ferguson and North St. Louis County Renewal and Transformation Plan in partnership with the City of Ferguson and St. Louis County which was a demonstration project that began with the production of 10 rental and home ownership opportunities and now will expand to an overall goal of 60 homes over the next 2 years throughout Ferguson and North St. Louis County. This will enable us to continue to deliver home ownership, transitional, and group shelter housing services fpr low-income families through the revenue and profits from our home sale. • THE NEHEMIAH PROGRAM has the ability to reduce homebuyers' effective financed costs through its home ownership program homes to as low as 2% interest through financing these homes directly for those who are challenged to acquire financing through traditional home financing approaches. • The estimated average financing cost per client will be 2% to 2% below market and we will seek to structure the payments so that clients can pay off their homes in 5-10 years. • THE NEHEMIAH PROGRAM provides post-purchase counseling as well to lessees and homebuyers it has financed who develop challenges such as late payment problems throughout their program.