Employee Spotlight: The Demo Diva and the Operation Home Program

United Housing employee Cherry Brooks, the self-proclaimed “Demo Diva,” has been sorting through houses by the fistful to find ways to alleviate blight in Memphis neighborhoods. Using the National Community Stabilization Trust (NCST) program called The ReClaim Project, distressed properties are donated to nonprofits that are willing and able to take some action on getting the homes either occupied or taken down.

Cherry Brooks, Demo Diva and Housing Support at United Housing

NCST is a nonprofit focused on accelerating neighborhood revitalization across the United States by collaborating with local community development corporations and national stakeholders. ReClaim focuses in markets with low-value, non-performing assets. Memphis is one of these left behind markets and continues to get hit by the housing crisis and economic recession. Property values are not increasing making it difficult for neighborhoods to bounce back.

“So many of these homes have to be knocked down, they are in such bad shape,” Brooks said sifting through piles of photos of homes with no doors, rotten structures, falling roofs, and water damage beyond repair. A vacant lot donated to the next door neighbors—often schools, churches, or homeowners—will help to maintain the lots and is one strategy for some of the homes.   “I drive around these neighborhoods, and look around. Find out if a school or church or store would want to maintain the lot, put in a garden or park. If I’m in Frayser I’ll recommend Frayser CDC for the property, especially if it can be saved and renovated,” Brooks says.

Not all of the homes need to be torn down. Some homes can be saved and repaired. “I just showed you the good ones,” Brooks said. The “good ones” can be donated to the neighborhood’s nonprofit community development corporation to be rehabbed and rented or sold to an individual or family. Brooks adds, “But most of them are just not worth the expense.”

Those rare property gems that are salvageable are ripe to become homes for veterans – the population NCST is focusing on getting housed. The donated properties can be “sold at a discount to qualified veterans or service members or made available as mortgage-free homeownership opportunities for disabled or very low-income veterans.”

United Housing is currently developing a new program called Operation Home in partnership with veteran organizations in Memphis like Catholic Charities' St. Sebastian Veteran Services  program, where they transition homeless veterans into stable housing. Operation Home has helped five veterans so far. The goal of Operation Home is to help 25 more veterans and their families become housed using NCST’s donated properties and ReClaim project. Properties that can be saved and renovated using energy-efficient, universal design, can provide accessibility standards for individuals in a wheelchair. Our goal is to supplement treatment plans from partner veteran organizations by providing a very crucial missing piece in the housing options and financial education of veterans in Memphis.

"I have 45 properties right now I am requesting through NCST," Brooks adds, "let's hope we can get some of these back in shape."

Renewable Energy in Memphis

Solar panels at Wolf River Bluffs.

Local solar panel enthusiast, Fergus Nolan, has written a short piece on Facebook on United Housing's Wolf River Bluffs. 

If you roll northwards on McLean, you dead-end at James St in Frayser. Clustered around the intersection, there's an interesting project by United Housing, a non-profit which works with low-income housing. These houses are very cool, built to pretty good standards of insulation, with economical on-demand water heaters, and each has a set of eight solar panels on the garage roof.

The panels were made in Memphis by Sharp America, who have since stopped making solar panels in Memphis. The economics of the panels are attractive. The eight panels probably have a rating of just under 2000 watts, which means that, with an average of 6 hours of productive daylight, you'd expect to get something approaching 12 KWH (12 units on your utility bill) per day. This is worth about $1.20 off your bill per day, maybe an average of 35 bucks or so, and this is higher in the summer months when the AC is on. 

There are still some tax incentives, in the shape of a credit, for installations like this, and you may qualify for some installation grants also. If you get a TVA/MLGW grid tie, you might be able to sell the energy to the utility for a higher price.

To build an installation like this yourself, you'd need approximately $2000 worth of panels, a solar controller in the $500 to $800 range and an inverter, to convert the 24V DC to alternating current, like you get off the mains. A 2000 watt inverter might start around $400 to 500. Then there is a mess or wiring, connectors and mounts, and you will need to hire an electrician if you want to hook it up to the grid, or contact the utility and jump through their hoops.

A grid this size won't power your home, but every watt you generate is a pile of coal they don't get to buy from Duke and burn at the Allen Fossil Plant, and thirty-something bucks per month is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

Payback looks to be in the order of 10 years and the panels come with a 25 year guarantee. There are a few little perks, such as the 'parasol effect' where the panels block 20% or so of the sun's heat. Mostly, doing a starter installation like this puts you in a good place to add more. Prices for panels have been in a historical decline, and fossil fuel will inevitably go up, so, at some point, you'd expect to be able to build up your home solar farm at incrementally lower costs. And, if you carefully research all the available grants and tax incentives, you may be able to trim these costs significantly.

The van in the pics is my solar-powered freezer truck, also with 1 KW of Memphis-built solar panels. This is how I have avoided tangling with bureaucracy as it is an off-grid installation. For anyone who has mobile power needs, the fact that automotive energy is much more expensive than grid power, and much of the available devices are awfully fuel-inefficient, gives a much better ROI calculation. Payback on the solar part of the truck conversion was less than a year. Opportunities for renewable energy are all around us. There is plenty of low-hanging fruit for homeowners and business folk who need to make our energy investments go to the bottom line.

United Housing has shown the way. These are neat and efficient houses that look very livable, probably much better than these leaky old Midtown houses. BTW is you know any low-income folks, it looks like some of the houses are still for sale.

Mr. Nolan is a member of local Facebook Advocacy group, Midtown Sustainability Alliance. He operates a small business based here in Memphis.

Learn more about Wolf River Bluffs on our website.

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.

---

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.