Maria Carolina and her family in their new home.

Maria Carolina Rodriguez-Masjoan and her family had seen many friends rush into home ownership and ultimately face foreclosure. Fearful of making a misstep, her family had put off purchasing their own home and decided to take their time before making a purchase. "This is a big thing. It's not like we're buying a pair of shoes so we knew we needed to learn more about what to do", she said as she recalled her first thoughts about purchasing a home.  She enrolled in NWBRV's six-week Home Buyer Education workshops where her counselor taught her "about things I had no idea about".  Maria Carolina recently purchased a new home in Cranston, RI and her growing family has settled into home ownership with confidence.  She adds, "We love being homeowners. It's your house, your home, and the feeling is great!" 

Youth play NBA Math Hoops and have computer time at the C-3 Center.

Woonsocket Youth RAP participants have a new way to play ball and they're improving their math skills while they're at it!  The NBA Math Hoops program is an innovative game where students play against one another in timed, simulated basketball games using real NBA and WNBA player data.  In order to "take it to the net" they must answer math equations correctly and submit their answer before their peers. They select which players take the shot and scoring utilizes real NBA and WNBA player statistics.  Youth RAP students choose their own teams and have been competing against each other in tournaments to improve their math skills. The program is offered to middle and high school students at our C-3 Center. To learn more about our youth programs, click here.   

120 South St. in Woonsocket, RI. Work on the home kicks off a series of rehabilitation projects on a block between John and West Streets.

Work on 120 South Street kicks off a block-wide rehabilitation project that spans from John to West Streets in the Constitution Hill neighborhood of Woonsocket.  The abandoned 3-story home will be renovated to include three new apartments ranging from 1-3 bedrooms.  The rehabilitation project will cost approximately $475,000 to complete and utilizes NSP and HOME funds.  The building is slated for completion in the Fall.

Learn more about the projects in our development pipeline here.

The RI Payday Lending Reform Coalition includes over 40 organizations from across the state.

NWBRV is once again helping lead RI's Payday Lending Reform Coalition, a group made up of over 80 people and 40 organizations who are dedicated to reducing the interest rate on payday loans from 260% to 36%.  The Coalition has two bills pending in the General Assembly to protect Rhode Islanders from entering into the unmanageable cycle of debt that payday loans can create and they need your help.  Visit the Coalition's website (www.RIPayday.org) to learn more about their efforts and how you can do 5 things to help the campaign. 

You can also learn more about NWBRV's role in this, and other consumer campaigns, by clicking here.