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Greetings!
This
month at NeigborWorks® Rochester, we took the opportunity to
congratulate three area real estate agents and a special board member for all of their hard work in the Rochester community.
We also met up with April Whitney, a customer of NeigborWorks® Rochester, who was happy to give us her story and allow us to share some photos of her home repairs. April is a single mother and after some digging, we discovered some interesting data about our work with single moms in the Rochester area that we'd like to share.
Your input is always valued. If you have any questions or comments, drop us a line at nwinfo@nwrochester.org. |
The Value of Trust: A Single Mom Shares Her Story
It's no
secret that hardworking single mothers have it tough. From getting the kids up and ready, packing
their lunches and getting them to school on time, it seems the "To-Do" lists
never end. The pressures of keeping a household
together are multiplied and there is little time for relaxation. That's why when something goes wrong, single
mothers need someone that they can trust.
When
25-year-old April Whitney of Rochester
needed repairs on her 1940 cottage home, she immediately began searching for
the right contractor. Unfortunately for
April, a few of those contractors were only in it for the money and she was
taken advantage of; leaving her home repairs unfinished. April then decided to get recommendations from
the city and she was given our name. After working with our Homeownership Coordinators, April was able to take out a Home Improvement Loan through NeigborWorks® Rochester and get the repairs done on her home.
"The
experience was completely different," April said of NeighborWorks® Rochester. "NeighborWorks®
tried to please the customer, and not just get the job done."
Our trusted
contractors worked for 10 weeks to repair and remodel April's kitchen, enclosed
porch, garage doors, basement and hot water heater. In the end, the results were remarkable and
April was thoroughly pleased with the outcome and the customer service she
received.
Her kitchen
that once had cabinets falling off of hinges and mold in between countertops is
now brand new with shiny tiled floor and light oak cabinetry. The always-leaky basement is now repaired and
April can store her children's toys downstairs without fear of mold or mildew
damage. The hot water heater is brand
new which allows this family of three to take nice long showers. The broken garage doors were replaced with
new ones and April can now park her car inside-just in time for the winter
months. And the enclosed porch has new
windows which allow the family to enjoy their backyard view. More than just fixing her repairs, April now
knows who she can really trust when it comes to preserving the longevity of her
home.
Kitchen-Before 
Kitchen-After  Garage-Before 
Garage-After
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 Did You Know?
Interesting facts about our work with single female head of household families
- In the 2 1/2 year period from Jan.
2007 to June 2009, a total 271 women head of household participants completed
NeighborWorks® Rochester's 8-hour pre-purchase class Home Ownership Made
Easy.
- Of the women that participated, 77 (28%) went on to successfully
purchase a home.
- Of the 271 women head of household participants
who completed pre-purchase education 158 (58%) were households with children.
- The average house price for the 77 women head of
household families that purchased a home as a result of completing NeighborWorks®
Rochester's
pre-purchase education was $66,965. This represents a total of $5,156,305 in
asset creation.
- The average interest rate was 5.365% which means
the average monthly payment, including taxes and insurance, per household is approximately
$566.
This affordable amount helps low to moderate women head of households
to better afford ongoing monthly housing expenses, helping to stabilize their overall
monthly household budgets.
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It's That Time Again!
Our 2010 Annual Campaign is officially underway. Here's how you helped us last year:
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Created
54 new first-time homebuyers
- Conducted 48 Pre-purchase
classes and Post- purchase classes
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Issued 482 Certificates of
Completion to participants of these Homeownership classes -
Conducted 12 Homebuyer
Orientations to a total audience of 203 participants, almost three times
the number participating in 2007 -
Conducted over 70 lead
clearance tests and risk assessments -
Developed Healthy Blocks
projects in which neighborhood residents and community volunteers gave
over 772 hours participating in activities that improved the physical
conditions in their neighborhood.
Invested $811,000 into
Rochester city
neighborhoods,
a record number and 6%
increase from 2007!Your contributions in 2010 can help us help more residents and restore more neighborhoods. If you're interested in donating a gift or volunteering your time, contact Rachel Atwood, Development and Communications Coordinator at 325-4170 ext. 332 or e-mail ratwood@nwrochester.org.
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Congratulations to Those Helping Our Community
You may remember us mentioning in our last issue of Community Connection about the First Time Homebuyer Sales Award. This award, given by NeighborWorks® Rochester, was created to recognize Rochester real estate agents who sold homes in the city during the 2008-2009 year to first time homebuyers.
The awards were given during the Greater Rochester Realtors® Association Awards Dinner at the Riverside Convention Center on Friday, Nov. 6. Congratulations to the winners!
1st Place: Linda Wilson, Nothnagle Realtors  2nd Place: Samantha Sharkey, Nothnagle Realtors  3rd Place: Kelley Chapman, North East Area Development 
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NeighborWorks® Rochester also congratulates Don Crumb, current secretary on our board, for his nomination for Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser.
On Friday, Nov. 13, the nominees were recognized by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Genesee Valley Chapter, during National Philanthropy Day.
Congratulations Don on your nomination and Thank You for your hard work and committment!
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