Leadership can make the difference between an organization that thrives and one that struggles. In the community development field, that leadership is important at every level – from neighborhood resident leaders to the organizational leaders who strengthen those neighborhoods.

Data tells a story.

At NeighborWorks® America, the data tells the story of new homeowners. It tells the story of homes repaired and of communities working together to make their neighborhoods what they want them to be. It tells the story of families and individuals connecting to education, to jobs and to better health, all by finding a safe place to call home.

NeighborWorks’ annual impact report highlights the data of NeighborWorks and the network – and the stories behind it.

Every community-based affordable housing organization eventually faces the same question: How do you help more families when the need keeps growing but your capacity doesn’t?

Walk through the hallways of the Robert “Bobby” Calvillo HomeOwnership Center at Affordable Homes of South Texas, and you will see portraits – not just of leaders and board members who have worked there, but of families and individuals, holding keys to a new home. 

Affordable housing and “dream homes” aren’t often part of the same conversation. But at come dream, come build (cdcb) in Brownsville, Texas, they’re one and the same. cdbc’s award-winning program, DreamBuild, creates volumetric modular grow homes – houses that are built in a factory, installed on-site and can easily be expanded as residents’ needs and finances shift. It's the type of regional solution that the NeighborWorks network is known for.

The cost of housing in the U.S. has been climbing and for many families, it’s harder than ever to keep up. Between rising property values, stricter lending conditions and limited access to upfront capital, the path to homeownership can feel nearly impossible, especially for first-time buyers without financial support.  

NeighborWorks® America has welcomed 14 new Business Intelligence fellows, representing 10 organizations from the Southern and Northeastern Regions in the NeighborWorks network. All of the fellows are receiving training on using Tableau software for data analytics and visualization, and will focus on property inheritance issues, which has been identified as major challenge in communities served by network organizations and a major obstacle to building generational wealth. 

The fellows program this year is being sponsored by TD Bank.

When people tell the story of America, they often talk about national leaders, historical events and major milestones. 

But America's story has always been written closer to home. 

In many communities across the country, housing programs operate in silos. 

Emergency shelter exists in one space. Transitional housing exists somewhere else. Homeownership programs sit separately from rental assistance. Financial capability services are often disconnected entirely. 

For more than 20 years, Marie Shelton rented the same three-bedroom house in Charleston, West Virginia. Today, she owns it.

“I raised my kids in this house. Grandkids too,” she said. It’s just blocks from her office at the West Virginia Department of Transportation, with a big backyard and multiple fireplaces that she decorates for Christmas and in the fall.

Shelton’s path to homeownership started with an ultimatum: Her landlord had decided to sell the place that she called home. If she didn’t buy it, the landlord said, she would have to move.