Operation Home: A New Home for a New Year

Center: US Veteran Shiloh Reynolds and Stephanie Dancy with their infant son, Shiloh, Jr., surrounded by United Housing, Catholic Charities, and St. Sebastian staff who helped them become homeowners.

Special Note: This post is written in collaboration with Alan Butson, Program Director for St. Sebastian Veteran Services, and with interview with Wayne Horton, St. Sebastian Peer Support Navigator. Watch this blog for further information in the St. Sebastian Newsletter.

The holidays are always a time of hope and of giving. For some, it can be hard. But this holiday season, Shiloh Reynolds, a ten year, honorably discharged, veteran of the U.S. Army who served in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, has found hope in home. This New Year, UHI would like to formally welcome our newest homeowners, US Veteran Shiloh Reynolds, his partner, Stephanie Dancy, and their infant son, 8-month old Shiloh, Jr. They will close on their home in January 2016 but were able to move in early to be home for the holidays. 

Thanks to the combined work of folks here at UHI, and from Catholic Charities of West Tennessee (CCWTN) and Orange Mound Community Development Corporation (OMCDC)--matched with the determination of the young family—they are now in their very own home where they celebrated their baby’s first Christmas.

Reynolds reached out to Catholic Charities' St. Sebastian Veteran Services (SSVS) program for housing assistance for himself and his family, his son, and his partner Stephanie Dancy. After being homeless and living in an emergency shelter for over a week, Mr. Reynolds and Ms. Dancy worked diligently with their case manager – Deloris Little to find viable housing options in Shelby County.

In just over two months, Mr. Reynolds has gone from being literally homeless, to a recipient of a fully renovated home given away by United Housing Inc., a CCWTN partner. Reynolds and his family closed on their home just in time for the holidays. Working on financial planning with United Housing's Priscilla Reed, the Reynolds are ready for the responsibility of the taxes, insurance and upkeep of the home and in fifteen years it is theirs – free and clear!

Mr. Reynolds and his family are just one of the 196 Veteran households in Shelby County who have received services from the SSVS program over the past year, and one of the 368 new homeowners that have worked with United Housing this year. Shiloh gives back, by volunteering with Supportive Services for Veteran Families on Fridays to assist veterans who are receiving furniture donations.

United Housing has been helping people provide stable housing for their families since 1994. In that time, we have helped more than 4000 buy or keep their home. Over the recent holidays, we could not be happier to offer our programs and services to veterans such as Shiloh, and by becoming a UHI customer, he is the latest addition to this resilient, determined, and dedicated group. The New Year is bright and full of hope for this young family and their New Home for the New Year!

Top 5 from 2015

The year 2016 is around the corner, making it the perfect time to look back on the milestones and successes that made 2015 a wonderful year for United Housing and our customers. These blog posts--in no particular order--represent some of the areas we will build upon next year.

Happy New Year!

1. Nadia Aguirre joined our staff and we will now have increased outreach capabilities for Spanish speakers.
2. Priscilla Reid became Lending Manager, ushering in a new direction towards lending in-house. She is pictured in the blog post with Sarah Williams, who took out the first Home RePAIR loan done completely in-house and funded by United Housing. 
3. United Housing & St. Therese teamed up to provide a home for women. More on St. Therese here.
4. UHI partnered with the folks at the Shelby County Trustee's office to bring the Neighbor to Neighbor fair to Frayser.
5. We became one of the first Memphis organizations to team up with ioby, a crowdfunding platform that focuses on community development-related projects. Thanks to matching funds, our ioby campaign successfully raised over $3000! More on ioby in Memphis here.

We hope you have enjoyed taking a look back with us through some of our most exciting and memorable stories of 2015. Each story here represents new hope for the people involved, as they proactively work to secure a stable home for themselves and their families. These and others are the kind of stories you can see when you join us in 2016. Happy New Year to you and yours! 

Homebuyer Profiles: Dionna Pruitt

Make a difference by giving to UHI this Giving Tuesday!

In Fiscal Years 2014 & 2015, UHI helped over 750 individuals and families become homeowners. Here is a story of one family who became homeowners during our administration of the Memphis Shelby County Helping Homebuyers Program:

Dionna Pruitt was already planning to buy the home she was leasing when her Loan Officer from Community Mortgage called her one afternoon; she felt the new downpayment assistance program, Memphis-Shelby County Helping Homebuyers Program (MSCHHP) would be perfect for Dionna. MSCHHP--a $15,000 down payment assistance loan--is forgivable after five years of residence. Dionna was then able to take the Homebuyer Education class at United Housing with Homebuyer Educator Kendra Love; she found the course to be “very informational” and enjoyable due to its discussion-based format.

Of her homebuying experience with MSCHHP, Pruitt says that the program “gave me the opportunity to start over and move forward quickly” with her four children after her divorce. She already knew her neighbors from living in the neighborhood for two years before purchasing the home in Southeast Memphis. The house is a perfect home for her and her three youngest children, with one son off at college and only coming home for visits. Dionna is very happy with the MSCHHP program and enjoys her “new” neighborhood; she takes part in neighborhood activities as a member of the neighborhood association.

 Give today and help more homeowners like the Pruitts!

What is Giving Tuesday?

On Tuesday, December 1, United Housing is participating in #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving. 

Last year, more than 30,000 organizations in 68 countries came together to celebrate #GivingTuesday. Since its founding in 2012, #GivingTuesday has inspired giving around the world, resulting in greater donations, volunteer hours and activities that bring about real change in communities. We invite you to join the movement this December.

Why give to UHI?

Through our services, more than 300 people have become successful homeowners per year, leading to more stable homes and neighborhoods. You might already know that United Housing increases access to homeownership, helping more individuals become homeowners. But did you know how that affects our city, making Memphis and the Mid-South a better place?

Your dollars will go further with UHI.

Investment leverages private capital. UHI leverages your dollar $500 to $1 through stimulating the economy via real estate and the lending market.

UHI builds and rehabs housing for other nonprofits, including SRVS and Meritan, who provide medical residential housing to seniors and people living with disabilities.

UHI has provided more than 60 individuals with disabilities a safe, accessible place to live through partnerships with SRVS and Meritan, Inc. – mostly through accessible construction – like wheelchair ramps, accessible bathrooms, and entrance and exits.

UHI strengthens Memphis neighborhoods.

We are a stabilizing force in the local economy – we’ve been here for more than 20 years, helping more than 4,000 families save or buy a home. Our organization has had a $400 million impact on Memphis and Mid-South.

UHI is focusing on US Veterans.

Recently, United Housing helped five veterans have a safe and affordable place to live through Operation Home. Help us assist more veterans and give to UHI today!

Where Should I Give?

You can give to UHI by visiting http://www.uhinc.org/home-24/2012-10-31-17-32-37. #GivingTuesday is held annually after Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The day helps kick off the holiday giving season and inspires people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support. Also, qualifying employees can have their employers match their giving! Check back on our pages after November 17 to see if your employer will match.

Those who are interested in joining United Housing’s #GivingTuesday initiative can visit

https://givingtuesday.force.com/GivingTuesday/apex/CommunitiesMyProfileVF?sfdc.tabName=01rF0000000ekZG

For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the UHI page on #GivingTuesday website (www.givingtuesday.org), Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday) or follow @GivingTuesand the #GivingTuesday hashtag on Twitter.

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Meet Nadia Aguirre, Assistant Loan Processor

At United Housing, we make choices that leverage resources, allowing us to serve more people in the area of homeownership. With our lending department’s expansion and additional focus on identifying and assisting Spanish-speaking homeowners and clients, we were able to hire a loan processor who is fluent in Spanish. United Housing is pleased to add Nadia Aguirre to the lending department as assistant loan processor. Nadia is bilingual in English and Spanish, which will allow our organization to reach a wider range of individuals in our city.

“We’re excited about the future of our expanding lending department and United Housing as a whole,” said Executive Director Tim Bolding. “Nadia’s extensive background in the lending industry makes her a valuable asset to our team, and our ability to provide bilingual assistance to our clients is a huge advancement for United Housing.”

Nadia at our booth during the 2015 Frayser Fall Festival

Nadia’s experience in the field makes her an instant asset and fit for United Housing. For eight years, she was a financial counselor with Financial Counselors of America, where she served as a bilingual specialist and assisted with credit repair consolidation budgeting, mortgage modification, homebuyer education (HBE) debt management and drafted proposals for the Hardest Hit Fund.

A native of Mexico, Nadia attended the Chihuahua Institute of Technology in Chihuahua, Mexico, and Colegio Centro Cristiano in Santa Ana, El Salvador. Additionally, she is certified by NeighborWorks America in foreclosure prevention, HBE intervention and credit management. 

In her role as assistant loan processor with United Housing, Nadia is responsible for helping both English- and Spanish-speaking individuals throughout the loan approval process, which includes collecting and verifying applicant information, interviewing individuals who need assistance with loans and preparing loan documents.

“I’m very excited and happy to join such a great organization and environment,” said Nadia. “I look forward to assisting people of all backgrounds who have lending needs.”

We are thrilled to have Nadia join our team, and know her addition will greatly benefit customers both now and in the future. Check out the People on the Move highlight in the Memphis Business Journal for more on her new role. For more information on how we can help, call (901) 272-1122 or visit http://bit.ly/14F0Fx0.

Priscilla Reed Embraces New Role with United Housing

As the Lending Department at United Housing continues to expand, we're pleased to announce that Priscilla Reed has accepted a new position as Lending Manager. Previously, Priscilla served as our Special Projects Coordinator, assisting clients in foreclosure prevention and financial literacy. 

A former underwriter with experience in the private sector, Priscilla relishes the opportunity to work one-on-one with people who are dedicated to repairing their homes. She also holds certification from NeighborWorks America as a financial capability counselor, reflecting on her tremendous client-focused coaching skills. 

Sarah Williams (front left) signs her Home RePAIR loan with Priscilla Reed (right). This was the first Home RePAIR loan done completely in-house and funded by United Housing. 

"I'm excited to have the opportunity to teach more people about the benefits of financial planning," said Priscilla. "It's our goal to bring a high level of financial literacy and planning to a wider audience. The strategy includes outreach and marketing, so that more people in Memphis and the Mid-South will know what they can do through United Housing."

Priscilla's first order of business as Lending Manager is administering Home RePAIR, an in-house home loan program. Qualifying clients can take out a 1.5% loan of up to $15,000 to cover the span of 10 years in order to upgrade their homes. RePAIR lending is an important part of United Housing's strategy to help people who may not otherwise have access to financial professionals. Learn about UHI client Preston Gilliam's experience with the RePAIR program here: http://bit.ly/1RbIJ04. 

With the addition of the Lending Department, United Housing now offers three major areas of financial improvement for clients: homebuyer education, foreclosure mitigation counseling and lending through Home RePAIR. As our staff evolves, we will better reflect our focus on lending to enable us to assist more people. Because of this, more people will have access to loans to repair their homes, which in turn will make neighborhoods and communities stronger and more stable. 

Please join us in congratulating Priscilla on her new role! The Memphis Business Journal highlighted her in a recent People on the Move feature. She is ready and eager to help you with your lending needs. For more information on how we can help, call (901) 272-1122 or visit http://bit.ly/14F0Fx0.

Lukas Alfen Making a Mark in Memphis

This past summer, United Housing hosted Lukas Alfen, an eighth grade Science teacher at Woodstock Middle School through Teach for America - Memphis, as an intern. During his internship, Lukas helped develop a process for getting financial education to teachers through financial literacy tools that are used across the country. These tools help teachers share with their students how to mitigate bad spending habits and bad credit scores through financial education at an early age. 

In honor of today being World Teacher's Day, we caught up with Lukas to hear about his teaching journey and investment in the community. 

How long have you been teaching at this school?

I am in my second year at Woodstock Middle School as part of my two-year service commitment for Teach for America. Prior to beginning at Woodstock, I taught summer school at Memphis Business Academy in Frayser. 

 

What led you to the Teach for America program?

I joined the program because of my work as a teaching assistant during my undergraduate studies at Syracuse University. While there, I saw the impact a dedicated teacher can have on mindset and achievement of their students. I noticed how the strong relationships built in school helped facilitate success for students outside the classroom walls. I also felt that Teach For America would give me the opportunity to experience life in a unique part of the country, different from the Northeast.

What is the best part about teaching? Most challenging?

The best part about teaching is getting to know my students. Having conversations and hearing their opinions gives me a clearer perspective on not only myself, but my goal here in Memphis as well. Each student is so full of potential that I need to ensure I am intentional in directing their energy in ways that will prepare them for success in grade school and beyond.

The most challenging part about teaching for me is finding the time to accomplish all of the goals I have for my classroom. There are only so many hours in a day to teach students, prepare lessons, measure data and support extracurricular activities, that finding any down time is almost impossible.

Have you been able to use what you learned at United Housing this summer in your classroom this fall?

Working at United Housing has helped me better understand Memphis as a city and a community. The need to drastically improve the financial literacy skills of children in Memphis quickly became apparent. Because of this, I have committed myself to teaching the importance of learning financial education and money management skills early on to help open up opportunities in adulthood.

What inspires you to give back to your community?

My students inspire me each and every day. The teachable moments I have with them make all the work worthwhile. Going into a profession for the money was never something I wanted to do, as I would rather make a career in which my value would be measured in the impact I had on others.