NeighborWorks America Expands its presence in Mississippi to Address Pressing Community Needs

For Immediate Release

April 12, 2007
Contact: Erin Angell, NeighborWorks® America, 202-220-6317, eangell@nw.org Lynn Long, NeighborWorks America, 504-669-0576, llong@nw.org

NeighborWorks America Expands its Presence in Mississippi to Address Pressing Community Needs

Grand Opening Ceremony Held For New Office

Jackson, Mississippi – Today NeighborWorks America held the official grand opening of the organization’s Rebuilding Communities office, located at 210 East Capitol Street, Suite 2174, in Jackson. The office will work with local, regional and national partners to help rebuild homes, develop new affordable housing and strengthen Gulf Coast communities devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It serves as the home base for the coordination of NeighborWorks rebuilding efforts in the state.

Special guests of the grand opening ceremony included Mississippi State Representative Tyrone Ellis; Aaron Lott, mayor of Lumberton; Erma Driver, president and chief executive officer of Voice of Calvary Ministries; Ben Winston and Ted Davis, Mississippi Green Built; Ken Wade, chief executive officer of NeighborWorks America; Don Phoenix, director of the NeighborWorks America Southern District; and Wes Miller, Mississippi rebuilding communities management consultant for NeighborWorks America.

Picture of special guests at office opening.

From left: Wes Miller, Ken Wade, and Don Phoenix of NeighborWorks America; Aaron Lott, mayor of Lumberton, Mississippi; and Ben Winston and Ted Davis, Mississippi Green Built

“Rebuilding the communities and the spirit of the Gulf Coast continues to be our priority,” said Ken Wade, CEO of NeighborWorks America. “The Jackson office serves as the center of our efforts in Mississippi to assist affected families and communities, and enables us to work more effectively with our local partners to rehabilitate and develop affordable housing, deliver financial education and homeownership counseling, and provide technical assistance and support for the nonprofit community. With the help of our partners, we are empowering families and working to build a better future for generations to come.”

NeighborWorks America, a leader in affordable housing and community development, has had a long-standing presence in the Gulf Coast region. Following the 2005 hurricanes, the organization committed to expand its presence and increase financial support for other organizations in the region to address the overwhelming demand for affordable housing and financial and homeownership counseling and education. To date, NeighborWorks America has contributed nearly $3 million in direct investments and in-kind support and technical assistance throughout Mississippi, and provided pre-development and development support for more than a thousand affordable housing units across the region.

With national and local partners, NeighborWorks America has embarked upon an ambitious initiative — the “Power of 10” — in the Gulf Coast. The Power of 10 commitment will enable NeighborWorks America to achieve the following goals by January 1, 2010:

10 NeighborWorks organizations established throughout the Gulf in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama;
10 Housing Resource Centers created across the Gulf region; and 10 strategic partnerships formed,
100 communities in the Gulf region served and 100 scholarships to NeighborWorks Training Institutes provided to nonprofit industry leaders working in the Gulf,
1,000 resident leaders trained in the Gulf region,
10,000 new or rehabilitated affordable homes available for Gulf residents and Katrina-impacted families,
100,000 families preserve or achieve homeownership and protect their financial assets,
$100,000,000 in direct investment, and
$1 billion in leveraged investment in the Gulf region.

NeighborWorks America provides financial support, technical assistance and training for communities across the nation through the NeighborWorks network of over 235 nonprofit organizations covering nearly 4,500 urban, suburban and rural communities. These organizations engage in revitalization strategies that strengthen communities and transform lives. In the last five years alone, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $12 billion in reinvestment and helped more than 845,000 families of modest means purchase or improve their homes, or secure safe, decent rental or mutual housing.

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