I work in Financial Capability at NeighborWorks® America, so I know what people are talking about in the field, especially when it comes to saving to buy or rent a home.  I also have children, and I am strategic there, too, listening for programs that will help my family and others prepare for the costs of growing into adulthood in the United States. 

Lee Anne Adams, NeighborWorks® America’s chief operating officer, closed out the Investing in Rural America conference in Asheville, North Carolina, this month, where she talked about the resilience of rural communities, and the opportunities. Following are some excerpts from her speech:

“Food can bring us together.” For Felix Colon, this is more than just a saying; it’s an action. In North Central Massachusetts, Felix founded Meek and Humble Ministries, a nonprofit organization that cooks, delivers and serves approximately 80 hot meals three times per week to individuals and families in need. Unlike some more traditional programs, Felix loads all the meals in his truck and delivers them to people where they are. 

NeighborWorks® America is proud to celebrate the recipients of its annual Dorothy Richardson Award for Resident Leadership. The national award honors resident leaders who strengthen their communities and inspire their neighbors to do the same.

Monica Dixon hadn’t heard the term “passive home” until she was looking at buying one. But two things became clear soon after she talked with NeighborGood Partners, the NeighborWorks® network organization that created the first passive homes in the state of Delaware. 

NeighborWorks® America network organizations and industry professionals met at the national nonprofit’s Washington, D.C. headquarters this month to talk about “Getting to the North Star for Shared Equity Housing.” Through five dedicated congressional appropriations beginning in 2019, NeighborWorks invested $12 million to strengthen the national infrastructure for shared equity homeownership. “Now it’s time to figure out what’s next, how to forge partnerships and how to keep moving forward," said Jenne Gaynor, director of Shared Equity Housing for NeighborWorks.

NeighborWorks® America’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) held a convening in Miami Beach this month, part of the NeighborWorks Training Institute. The lessons from panel discussions to in-depth conversations will last long after the event.  

Everything rises and falls on leadership, said Dan Ellis, CEO of NHS of Baltimore, “It’s the key to everything we do.” 

He looks at leadership training like this: If your staff is such a large part of your budget, then not investing in them to help them be “as good as they can be” is just plain foolish.

As longtime community development leaders begin to retire, a new generation must carry the wave forward.