Author: Amanda

ESL Federal Credit Union Gifts $40,000 to the NeighborWorks® Community Partners Rochester COVID-19 Relief Program

ESL Federal Credit Union has pledged $40,000 to support the Neighborly Fund, relief loans for community members in need as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. NeighborWorks® Community Partners Rochester (NCP) announced the creation of the Neighborly Fund in April 2020, and the inaugural distribution will provide no interest, deferred loans of up to $3,500 to homeowners in Monroe County who are financially impacted by COVID-19 through layoffs, furloughs, or other hardships.

“NeighborWorks Community Partners is vital to preserving the financial well-being of many residents throughout our community,” said Ajamu Kitwana, Vice President/Director of Community Impact, ESL Federal Credit Union. “We support the organization, its mission and the ‘Neighborly Fund’ because these grants are imperative to providing much needed assistance to residents throughout Greater Rochester experiencing financial hardships related to housing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

NCP set out to raise $250,000 for these no interest, deferred loans, which can be used to pay mortgages or utilities, phone bills, buying groceries, or other urgent needs. Borrowers also receive free, one-on-one financial counseling to plan for the coming months and repay the loan when (or if) they can. Any repayments made on loans will be paid forward to continue providing affordable financing to low-income WNY residents.

Applications officially open NOW through NCP’s website.

“ESL Foundation has been a strong supporter of NeighborWorks® Community Partners and for residents of the City of Rochester for many years,” said Jerome M. Nagy, Chief Executive Officer of NCP. “We are so proud to work with the Foundation to help ensure homeowners in Rochester have a little extra support. Working together with our neighbors in the community and with partners like the ESL Foundation we will get through these troubled times stronger and more resilient.”

To date, the online fundraising campaign has raised more than $175,000 for WNY (Erie, Niagara and Monroe Counties) homeowners and Buffalo small business owners, including $100,000 in seed capital from NCP. To support the Neighborly Fund, visit the GoFundMe page or website.

About NeighborWorks® Community Partners Rochester
NeighborWorks® Community Partners Rochester is committed to providing quality services that help individuals and families with modest budgets create safe and healthy homes, build personal wealth through homeownership and grow vibrant communities across the Greater Rochester region. For more information, click here.

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Change Starts With Us

For more than 40 years, the affiliates of NeighborWorks® Community Partners have been providing housing and community development programs for low- to moderate-income people and their families.

We have come together across Western NY to be a catalyst for building and strengthening communities, and we will not stay silent about the mass demonstrations happening around us to draw attention to the systemic racism that affects our neighbors every day.

We stand by the Black community and know that change doesn’t happen through words alone. We recognize the challenges in our own daily practices and are committed to doing the work to better the organization. This means taking a hard look at the lack of diversity on our own board, staff and leadership teams, and working with the appropriate consultants to create and implement an organization-wide diversity plan.

We urge our white neighbors to become educated about the history of redlining and the impact it has had on Black people and people of color (POC) when trying to purchase homes (and the divide it has created, which is still felt today).

Watch documentaries. Listen to podcasts. Read articles and books. When someone tells a racist joke, call them out. Have honest conversations with the people around you about race and racism, what you are doing to contribute to it, and what you can do to change your own actions.

Neighborhoods work when neighbors work together.

Change starts with us.

March 19, 2020 | OFFICE CLOSURE ANNOUCEMENT

OFFICE CLOSURE ANNOUCEMENT

In the best interest of our clients and staff, our offices will be closed to the public starting Monday, March 23, 2020. We will continue to honor pre-scheduled in-person appointments, at the discretion of our counselors.

The following updates have been made to our programs and services:

  • Counseling: If you would like to schedule a counseling appointment, please contact us to set one up via telephone or video conference.
  • Education Classes: have been cancelled until further notice. We will continue to update our website with information as it becomes available. We do offer Homebuyer Education online; click here to learn more. If you already paid for an in-person class, contact us at info@nwcprochester.org to find out how you can apply your payment to the online course.
  • Home energy assessments: will continue as scheduled, at the discretion of our Energy Services Team.
  • Loan Payments: will continue to be due as scheduled, and should be mailed directly to the office at 570 South Avenue, Rochester NY 14620. We can no longer accept cash payments. 

We will continue to evaluate the situation and share any changes on our website, and on social media as we are able. If you have other needs, or have further questions, feel free to give us a call at (585) 325-4170 or email us at info@nwcprochester.org and we will get back to you by the end day.

Thank you,
The NeighborWorks Community Partners Team

Updates to Services: COVID-19 Response

Dear Neighbors,

Between a tough flu season and the recent news about COVID-19, we wanted to check in with you about visiting the office during this time, which will remain open Monday – Friday, 8:30am to 5pm until further notice. Please review the following updates to our programs and services:

  • At this time, we are suspending face-to-face counseling. If you have a counseling appointment, you can still maintain you appointment with your counselor via telephone or video conference. Please contact us so we can provide you with further instructions.
  • All education classes have been cancelled for March. We will follow up shortly with more information about rescheduling.
  • Home energy assessments will continue as scheduled, but will be doing health checks with all homeowners in advance.
  • Loan payments continue to be due, as scheduled.

We will continue to evaluate the situation and share any changes to our office hours to our website, and on social media as things happen.

If you have other needs, or have further questions, feel free to give us a call at (585) 325-4170 or email us at info@nwcprochester.org and we will get back to you by the end day.

Thank you,
The NeighborWorks Community Partners Team

A Home Energy Assessment Makes Good Cents

What is a Home Energy Assessment?

An Energy Assessment is a review of your home’s overall energy efficiency, which can be affected by many things. Roof condition, insulation levels, outdated appliances, old furnaces, leaky hot water heaters, single-pane windows, etc. all have an impact. The goal is to see where your home is losing energy so that we can formulate a plan to save on energy costs. This “big picture” view of your home’s energy efficiency can lead to significant savings on your utility bill because you won’t need to set your thermostat quite as high to stay warm, or your air conditioning as low to stay cool.

Why Should You Get a Home Energy Assessment?
Residential properties account for about 10% of carbon emissions in the US, according to the EPA, which means they are very inefficient and waste huge amounts of energy and…money!In addition to reducing your carbon footprint, you will learn how to improve your home’s comfort. It will also help you save money (woo hoo!).

How You Can Get a Home Energy Assessment
NeighborWorks Community Partners’ Energy Services team can conduct a FREE home energy audit for your home. Income-based grants are available for the Greater Rochester area. We give unbiased advice to reduce your heating and cooling bills. Our BPI-certified technicians will help you prioritize your needs:

  • Increase your home’s comfort through a Home Energy Assessment
  • Learn how you can SAVE MONEY with FREE energy saving tips you can use right now!
  • Learn about NY State grants to help pay for your home-energy projects *Income-based.

To schedule your home energy assessment today, just give our Energy Services Team a call at: (585)325-4170, Email us at: Energy@nwcommunitypartners.org, or Click Here to fill out an application.

 

NeighborWorks Rochester reveals new name

NeighborWorks Rochester is now NeighborWorks Community Partners Rochester, as part of the NeighborWorks Community Partners nonprofit collective. NeighborWorks helps build and strengthen communities by guiding individuals and families with modest budgets along their homeownership journeys. A new focus includes outreach to young professionals. The Rochester office is located at 570 South Ave. Staff partners with banks and community supporters to assist neighbors with homebuyer education, financial fitness, low-interest lending, home repair and rehab, lead testing, and energy-efficiency assessments.

Posted Nov 5, 2019 at 4:34PM via Monroe County Post

NeighborWorks® America Grants NCP $35,000 for Special Projects

We are excited to announce that NeighborWorks® Community Partners has received $35,000 in supplemental grant funding from NeighborWorks® America to help strengthen our capacity to deliver the highest quality of services while continuing to work toward mission-sustainability. These funds will allow us to take a good, hard look at community needs and find new ways to expand our services. We are grateful to NeighborWorks America for its continued support of the work that we do in the Greater Rochester region, and across Western, NY!