Congratulations to the past winners of the Innovations in Homeownership Contest. Please see a list of past winners below.
We would like to thank all of the organizations that submitted applications. There were many deserving entries, which made for a difficult decision process. The quality of the entries, however, is an encouraging sign about the quality and passion of the organizations focusing on homeownership.
We invite everyone to review all the applications. Our contest review tools make it easy to search on topic, location, or keywords.
2008
Innovative partnerships to sustain homeownership - 2008
NHS Mortgage Corp. “The Borrower’s Broker”
With the development of NHS Mortgage Corp. (NMC), a nonprofit mortgage brokerage, NHS has been able to strengthen and leverage our partnerships in order to bring about stability to today’s volatile market. As our neighborhoods face record foreclosure rates, NMC will help to stabilize these markets through enabling and preserving sustainable homeownership. View details
Runner-up: Affordable Plus Mortgage Program View details
Runner-up: It Takes a Creative Village To Keep a Family in Their Home View details
Runner-up: CFRC and the Los Angeles Teachers Mortgage Assistance Program View details
Innovative strategies to address REOs in the community - 2008
HOME Rochester
HOME Rochester is a collaborative treatment of foreclosed and vacant properties located in the City of Rochester. Through HOME Rochester, vacant properties are purchased and held by a non-profit corporation, renovated to a standard and high level of specification, and sold to first time low income buyers. Construction managers and sales agents are community based non-profits. Subsidy is used to make homes affordable. Buyers receive pre and post purchase counseling. View details
Runner-up: Operation Neighborhood Rescue View details
Innovative post-purchase strategies for consumers - 2008
Preserving Homeownership and Savings Education Strategy (PHASES)
Money Management International launched an innovative post-purchase strategy for consumers in 2007 that includes online education and grants up to $5,000 for qualifying homeowners. A generous $1,000,000 donation from the HSBC Finance Corporation provided the pool of $800,000 to help bring homeowners current on mortgages. Entitled Preserving Homeownership and Savings Education Strategy (PHASES), the program has helped over 1,400 households with education and has awarded grants totaling $438,238. View details
Runner-up: Web-Based Virtual Collaboration Environment for Post-Purchase View details
2007
Innovative use of technology to manage your homeownership program - 2007
Web-based Home Buyer Tracking Tools
Portland Housing Center implemented the use of a web-based tracking tool to assist in the tracking of customers who purchase homes. View details
Innovative strategies to increase homeownership program capacity - 2007
Homesmart - An Vertically Integrated Business Model
With nonprofits working in a capital-intensive field like real estate, there is a constant lag between program goals and funding. To insulate itself from the feast or famine model, Homewise has developed Homesmart. With this model, revenue generated from loan origination fees, real estate commissions, real estate development fees, closing costs and interest income is recycled to fund the free educational and counseling programs. This business model has resulted in Homewise being 70% self funded. View details
Innovative techniques and strategies to promote homeownership program services - 2007
HOMEE
HOMEE is a tool devised by NeighborWorks® Columbus to reach out into the community and positively market our name, our logo and our main message: that homeownership is within reach. Since his debut during the 2006 NeighborWorks® Week, HOMEE has appeared at City Council, sports events, the MLK Day Parade, the Christmas Parade and will celebrate his birthday this coming June during the NeighborWorks® Week activities with a community wide birthday party in our first target neighborhood. View details
Innovative strategies to create cost efficiency for the business services of your homeownership program - 2007
Loan processing hub streamlines homeowner process
The 24 partners of the statewide Montana HomeOwnership Network use a centralized loan processing system that allows efficient service across the state for large and small partners. Instead of hiring someone to handle the loan paperwork, often sporadic at the smaller rural organizations, the partners send their loan paperwork to Great Falls, where it is handled by MHN's full-time loan department. Also, local lenders act as the MHN intake when they qualify the borrower for their first mortgage. View details
2006
Innovative Early Foreclosure Intervention Strategy - 2006
Foreclosure Prevention Through Outbound Telephone Counseling
When a family becomes delinquent on their mortgage, many times they go into denial. They fail to contact their lender and they ignore telephone calls and letters from the servicer advising them of the seriousness of the situation. Our unique approach as a housing counseling agency is conduct an aggressive outbound calling program to reach the family and counsel them immediately. We have been very successful in this approach. View details
Runner-up: Somerset County Coalition on Affordable Housing Delinquency Counseling View details
Runner-up: Cuyahoga County Foreclosure Prevention Program View details
Runner-up: La Lotería: Homebuyer Education and Foreclosure Prevention Classes View details
Innovative Partnerships to Prevent Foreclosure - 2006
Tippecanoe County HomeOwnership Preservation Initiative (HOPI)
n 2003/2004, Indiana had one of the nation’s highest foreclosure rates & Lafayette Neighborhood Housing Services saw a 300% increase in clients needing housing counseling for loan delinquencies & pending foreclosures. LNHS and Chase Bank partnered to form the Tippecanoe County Home Ownership Preservation Initiative (HOPI). The group studied local causes of foreclosure, defined potential solutions, but faced the difficult challenge of getting key leaders to publicly acknowledge the problem.
View details
Runner-up: Equity Protection Partnership View details
Runner-up: Home HeadQuarters Inc. Partnership with CitiFinancial View details
Runner-up: Indiana Mortgage & Foreclosure Helpline View details
Innovative Outreach/Marketing Strategy to Address Foreclosures - 2006
Who's Got a Sheriff?
Neighborhood Housing Services of Great Falls works cooperatively with the County Sheriff Process Server to prevent foreclosures. When the Process Servers delivers legal notices to the homeowners, they provide the homeowners with information and contact numbers for the Foreclosure Prevention Counselors of Neighborhood Housing Services of Great Falls. View details
Runner-up: STATEWIDE ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN View details
Runner-up: Columbus Foreclosure Prevention Initiative View details
Runner-up: Foreclosure Avoidance Outreach Program-CCCS of N. Colorado View details
2005
Best Innovative Partnership with a Realtor® - 2005
State REALTOR Foundation - Partnership with Realtors
The Colorado Association of REALTORS Housing Opportunity Foundation (CARHOF) promotes safe, decent and affordable housing by providing grants to nonprofit and public housing agencies. View details
Runner-up: Realtor Partnership with Innovative Listing Agreements View details
Runner-up: Housing Opportunities Committee View details
Best Innovative Partnership with a Lender/Insurer - 2005
Pre-Qual Rallies
In an effort to more efficiently serve a greater number of people, the staff at CHW came up with the idea of Pre-Qualification Rallies. These PreQual rallies are given after each HomeBuyer Education classes so that graduates may have an initial mortgage readiness counseling session. At the time of the Pre Qual customers receive a tri-merge credit report, fill out an intake form and sit down with a bank partner loan officer to review their income, assets, and liability information. These loan officers utilize and are trained on the CHW pre-qualification formula and are supported by floating staff who are available to answer difficult questions that may arise. It is in this initial session that clients learn how close they are to making their dream of homeownership a reality. Bank partners do not pre-qualify clients on bank programs, but simply speak to the broad situation. View details
Runner-up: Nehemiah Project View details
Runner-up: Northern Circle Indian Housing Authority View details
Best Innovative Partnership with an Employer/Government/University - 2005
McAllen Affordable Housing Program
Initially capitalized by the City of McAllen, the McAllen Affordable Housing Program has grown to a $24 million revolving loan fund and has provided over 2,400 low-income families with homeownership opportunities. MAHP is a public-private partnership, which assists families unable to qualify for conventional home loans. To provide a cost-savings directly to its clients, McAllen Affordable Homes Inc. (MAHI) serves as land developer, general contractor and nonprofit mortgage company. View details
Runner-up: NHS of Chicago's Employer-Assisted Housing Program View details
Runner-up: Rose Street Blossoms View details
Best Innovative Partnership (other) - 2005
Puertas Abiertas/Open Doors Program: A Partnership Among Noprofit and For-profit Corporations
Our program exemplifies successful strategic partnerships among non-profit and for-profit corporations to develop and offer mortgage products that meet the unique needs of Latino homebuyers, who often cannot meet requirements of mainstream mortgage loans. Our program also represents a model example of how partnerships can successfuly adapt to changing market conditions and multiply the collective ability to help Hispanic families realize their aspirations to become homeowners. View details
Runner-up: Haven’s Partnership to Assist Displaced or Homeless Individuals and Families View details
Runner-up: Montana American Indian Homeowership Program View details
2004
Best Collaboration to Promote Homeownership - 2004
Montana HomeOwnership Network
Since 1998, the Montana HomeOwnership Network has created 2,074 homebuyers and graduated more than 6,000 families from homebuyer education. Using network of service delivery partners, the Montana HomeOwnership Network has served families in 176 Montana communities. Lender and government partners provide capital financing for down payment and closing cost loans; while grants and loan fees support homebuyer education, housing counseling and loan processing operating costs. View details
Runner-up: Individual Development Account Collaborative of Louisiana View details
Runner-up: Teacherwise Program in Santa Fe View details
Best Homeownership Marketing Strategy - 2004
"Fire the Landlord Now" Marketing Campaign
In partnership with Ideopia, a Cincinnati-based marketing firm, Columbus Housing Partnership (of Columbus, Ohio) rolled out a new marketing campaign to promote homeownership. Colorful "Fire the Landlord Now" ads were placed in all Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) buses. The neon-green ads are catching the attention of potential homebuyers throughout the capital city and have prompted a dramatic increase in phone calls from interested homebuyers. View details
Runner-up: NHS of Boise's Seminar Certificate Request Form View details
Runner-up: NHS/City of Chicago 311 Hotline to Prevent Foreclosures View details
Best Postpurchase Strategy - 2004
"Best of Neighborhood Contest" in Battle Creek, MI
Neighborhoods Inc. of Battle Creek, Michigan, created a “Best of Neighborhood” contest to encourage investments in home maintenance and exterior home improvements. Over the past two years, sixty-four residents have competed in five categories; Best Front Porch, Best Front Yard, Best Back Yard, Best Curb Appeal and Best Group Effort. The contest supports other neighborhood revitalization efforts. View details
Runner-up: Home Ownership Preservation Initiative of NHS of Chicago View details
Runner-up: Foreclosure Prevention/Predatory Lending Workgroup in Rhode Island View details
Best Strategy for Reaching Minority Homebuyers - 2004
NCALL's "Finanzas Financial Education Program"
"Finanzas" is a program designed to provide basic banking and finacial education training primarily to the Latino employees in the Perdue poultry processing plant in Georgetown. Program partners include NCALL, Citizens Bank, Fannie Mae’s Delaware Partnership Office and the Delaware State Housing Authority. NCALL’s Spanish speaking Housing Counselor provides basic banking and money management curriculum training twice a week, for six weeks to participants. View details
Runner-up: NHS of New Haven's Teen-Parent Credit Counseling Courses View details
Runner-up: American Indian Homeownership Campaign View details
 |
|
|
Unless otherwise noted, all content © 2008 Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, dba NeighborWorks® America. All rights reserved.
Terms of Use |
Privacy Policy |
Support |
Contest Administration
1325 G St., NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20005-3100
Phone: (202) 220-2300 Fax: (202) 376-2600 |
|
