Custer Residents Learn about Affordable Housing Options

 Thanks to a group of local professionals, Custer residents were better educated on the home buying process.   Several professionals participated in a Custer Home Buyers Fair and Seminar organized by NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources.  Their goal was  to provide attendees with a  better understanding of the home buying process including insurance, budgets, credit, appraisals, financing, home inspections, and working with a realtor.    

With interest rates so low, many are thinking about buying a home but are not sure where to start.   Buying a home is one of most important purchases that one will make in their life time.  Buyers need to understand all of their options before jumping in.

Presenters from Century 21, Highmark Federal Credit Union, First Interstate Bank, NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources, Dakota Land Trust, and Meade County Housing, shared their knowledge with attendees. 

Financial Services Manager at Highmark Federal Credit Union, Josh Campbell suggests that you compare all your options before selecting your lender.  Each homebuyer has a unique situation and each lender has special programs that can fit their needs.

According to a study prepared by Hanna: Keelen Associates in June of 2009, the median cost of home in Custer in 2009 was $123,900 and is expected to grow to $167,900 by 2019.  The need for affordable housing is an issue that many of the housing professionals realize.  Being educated on the market and all of home buying options will provide you with the best results. 

Affordable housing agencies, Dakota Land Trust (DLT) and Meade County Housing explained that by laying partnerships homes can become more affordable.  Dakota Land Trust works by sparing low income buyers the cost of the land, thus requiring only the cost of the house to be financed. The property is leased to the homeowner, who can renew the lease every 99 years, provided they or their descendants remain the inhabitants.  Governors’ homes are a quality, low-cost, low-maintenance, energy efficient place for income-qualified individuals and families to call home.  Executive Director of Dakota Land Trust, Joy McCracken, stated that often times by utilizing both DLT and Governors House families can get into a home for less than what they are paying in rent.

About NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources

NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources is a private non-profit organization that works to assist families with their dream of homeownership and revitalize communities to improve the quality of life. NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources has assisted over 900 families achieve their dream of homeownership. 

If you would like more information about NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources or the Custer Home Buyers Fair, contact Stephany at 605-578-1401 or visit us on the web at www.NeighborWorksdhr.org

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Residents Learn How to Build Their Own Green House in Deadwood

NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources hosted a workshop on “How to Build Your Own Green House” Wednesday, April 24^th 2012.  The workshop provided hands on techniques and advice that focused on: building materials, construction plans and, the benefits of a greenhouse. 

NeighborWorks® Rehab Specialist, Robert Thorp, offered his knowledge and techniques on how to build an efficient home green house.  Robert allowed attendees to view his green house that he designed and constructed nearly 12 years ago. He stated that construction and operating cost could vary when building a green house.  No green house needs to be exactly the same; construction should be based on your needs and expectations. Gardening is a passion for Robert,  his green house is 120 square feet, and is on the higher end of cost because he continues to improve it and add extra amenities.

Robert’s greenhouse produces   60-80 pounds of tomatoes, dozens of sweet bell peppers and allows him to start growing all of his annual flowers.   During the spring and fall months the average daily cost is approximately a $1.30 a day.  Robert utilizes his green house April through November.  He states the value of having fresh produce is worth his cost and time. 

“Having your own green house does not only allow you to have fresh produce, it is a therapeutic hobby” Robert stated.

Robert suggests that the first step in building a green house is to find the perfect location and place your greenhouse where you will have the most southern exposure.

NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources is a private non-profit organization that has been assisting in providing safe, decent and, affordable housing and revitalizing neighborhoods for twenty years.  NeighborWorks® helps families and individuals Buy, Fix, and Keep their homes.  NeighborWorks® host free post purchase workshops and homebuyer education classes to educate on home maintenance classes and the home buying process.   Classes are free and open to the public.  For a complete list of up-coming classes visit www.neighborworksdhr.org or contact NeighborWorks® at 605-578-1401. 

Neighborhood Garden Efforts Reach Surrounding Streets

Three years ago NeighborWorks partnered with the Rapid City Police Department and the residents of Lemmon Avenue  to create a block club and the neighborhood’s focal point at 706 Lemmon Ave., the Lemmon Avenue Community Garden. 

Since then the neighborhood has seen great improvements. “It seems like a different place. You go around town and talk to people and they can’t get over how clean Lemmon Avenue is looking,” said John Haag.

The Lemmon Avenue Block Club recently changed their name to the College Park Block Club to encompass the neighboring streets and spread the success of the improvements.  “We started in a small clump. We’re slowly starting to spread,” said John Haag, a Lemmon Avenue resident and the president of the College Park Block Club, formerly the Lemmon Avenue Block Club.

Senior Rapid City Police Officer Ron Terviel, who has worked on the project since its beginning, expects the revitalization to keep spreading. “I think it’s just going to keep on snowballing,” Terviel said. “We want to expand this thing and get more people involved.”Lemmon Avenue residents want their neighborhood revitalization efforts to spill into surrounding streets.

Saturday, April 21st the residents came a step closer to that goal when Wells Fargo donated property on nearby Willsie Avenue to NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources. 

716 Willsie was an uninhabitable abandoned house. The current structure will be demolished a new home will be built in its place for a low- to moderate-income family.

Before the structure was demolished the College Park Residents and Rapid City Police Department volunteers collected useable materials in the houseto be recycled and used for garden boxes for their community garden. 

The Residents of Lemmon and the College Park Block Club have gained a great deal of pride in their neighborhood since this project began.   They are working together to improve the quality of life for their neighbors and themselves.  "It is now a community", College Park Block Club President, John Haag stated.

  If you would like more information on the College Park Block Club or Community Garden, contact Sharon at 578-1401

Wells Fargo Donates Property to NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources

Rapid City, SD (04/21/2012) – Wells Fargo is supporting the NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources’ (NWDHR) mission to revitalize neighborhoods and create affordable housing by donating a Rapid City property.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Saturday, April 21, at 10 a.m. at 716 Willsie Ave. in Rapid City as Wells Fargo donated the property to NWDHR.  

716 Willsie Ave. was a Wells Fargo Real Estate Owned (REO) Property.  Wells Fargo’s REO Program facilitates the transfer of properties owned by Wells Fargo and investors to nonprofit housing intermediaries, like NWDHR, that have a history of providing sustainable, affordable homeownership or rental opportunities for low- to moderate-income (LMI) people.  The program is designed to take properties that have been foreclosed and move them back to the market to help stabilize local economies.

“We’re thrilled to continue our work with NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources to help stabilize and rebuild Black Hills neighborhoods, especially on a project that’s consistent with our commitment to environmental stewardship,” said John Senden, Business Banking vice president, market president for Wells Fargo in Spearfish and member of the NWDHR Board of Directors.  “By donating this property, we’re providing more than just safe and affordable housing—we’re providing hope for people in need.”

716 Willsie Ave. is a foreclosed property that is beyond repair and will need to be demolished.  To utilize all useable materials from the property, the College Park Block Club (formally Lemmon Avenue Block Club) will be helping salvage material to be used in the Lemmon Avenue Community Garden.  The rest of the structure will then be demolished by a local contractor and soon be transformed into a site for a safe, decent and affordable home.

“We are extremely pleased by the commitment Wells Fargo has shown toward NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources,” said NWDHR Executive Director Joy McCracken.  “Through the on-going commitment of Wells Fargo and other similar partners, NeighborWorks has helped change hundreds of lives throughout the Black Hills.”

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo provides financial services from 49 stores in 35 South Dakota and southwestern Minnesota communities and employs more than 3,700 team members throughout the region.  Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.3 trillion in assets.  Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet (wellsfargo.com), and other distribution channels across North America and internationally.  With more than 270,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in America.  Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 23 on Fortune’s 2011 rankings of America’s largest corporations.  Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially.

About NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources

NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources is a private non-profit organization that has been assisting in providing decent, safe and affordable housing and revitalizing neighborhoods for twenty years.  NeighborWorks® has helped more than 900 families realize their dream of homeownership. The partnership with Wells Fargo supports the NeighborWorks® mission and will allow NWDHR to continue to provide decent, safe and affordable housing and revitalize neighborhoods throughout our communities.  For more information on NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources or the Wells Fargo donation, contact Stephany at 605-578-1401

Improving Neighborhoods with Homeownership Opportunities

Long term Lemmon Avenue residents, Riley and Merial Uzel, rented a home for 13 years on Lemmon Avenue in Rapid City.  Unfortunately, the rental property did not comply with city ordinances, leaving it up to the land lord to make improvements. The landlord’s plan was to demolish the current rental property and replace it with a two unit town home. This would have forced Riley and Merial out of their home.  

The residents of Lemmon Avenue did not want to see their neighbors go, nor did they want another rental property in their neighborhood.  The residents came together and fought to keep the new rental units out.  They wanted to find a way to   allow the Uzels to become permanent residents of Lemmon Avenue.  They wanted the Uzels to become homeowners.

 According to the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, homeownership improves the quality of neighborhoods. Homeowners have a financial stake in their home and neighborhood.  Studies find that homeowners are 28% more likely to repair or improve their homes than renters.  Owner-occupied homes are far less likely to have interior, exterior or structural problems than the homes of comparable renters. Homeowners also tend to engage in activity that beautifies their properties.

Due to the Uzels fixed income, they never imagined they could become homeowners. NeighborWorks partnered with South Dakota Housing Development Authority, Dakota Land Trust, Teton Coalition and Pennington County Housing Assistance to create an affordable home for the Uzels. 

Utilizing the Governor’s House Program, the Uzels were able to purchase a reasonably sized, affordable home.  The home was then placed on a Dakota Land Trust Lot.  Dakota Land Trust works by sparing low income buyers the cost of the land, thus requiring only the cost of the house be financed. The property is leased to the homeowner, who can renew the lease every 99 years, provided they or their descendants remain the inhabitants. 

Each layering partner made this possible: the residents of Lemmon  lobbying together to retain their fellow neighbors, the land lord agreeing to sell the property to Dakota Land Trust, South Dakota Housing Development Authority,  Governors’ House Program,  Dakota Land Trust, Pennington County Housing and Teton Coalition. 

 Each partner understands the benefits of providing affordable housing options.  Without these programs, many families, including the Uzels, would never experience the joys of homeownership.  

NeighborWorks® Revitalizes Lead Neighborhood

For over ten years two homes sat vacant on Washington Avenue in Lead.  The historic homes were beyond repair and a hazardous site for children and other residents.  In 2011, NeighborWorks®   Dakota Home Resources purchased both homes in an effort to continue to revitalize the neighborhood and create a new affordable home.

NeighborWorks®   has been assisting families with homeownership opportunities and revitalizing homes and neighborhoods for twenty years.  The Washington neighborhood has greatly benefited from NeighborWorks’®   mission.  Many of the residents on Washington Avenue have utilized NeighborWorks® programs to purchase or rehab their homes. 

In 2009, Lead resident, Joel Edgar purchased his home on Washington Avenue with assistance from NeighborWorks®    Dakota Home Resources and Dakota Land Trust.  His home was built on a vacant lot after the removal of a blighted structure.  Joel looked into buying an older home but, the rehab cost would have been a financial burden.  In Lead, the median house price is $126,500. Joel purchased his newly constructed home for $80,000.  His property was not only a more affordable option but improved the quality and appearance of his neighborhood.  Joel Edgar shared that he is excited to see how the new project will improve the neighborhood. ”I am excited to see a new home replace the old houses in our neighborhood.  

Cleaning up that area will improve the look of the neighborhood and help with the growth of Lead.”

NeighborWorks® plans to repeat the success of Joel’s home with the two Washington street lots.  NeighborWorks®    hired a local contractor to remove the dilapidated structures and clean up both lots. The lots will then be transformed into a site for a safe, decent and affordable home.   “One of the goals of the City of Lead is to encourage property improvement through either rehabilitation or, in this case, demolition and new construction.  A newly constructed home on this large, desirable lot will be very appealing, and with the assistance from NeighborWorks® , affordable.” City Administrator, Mike Stahl stated. 

 If you would like more information on the Washington street project or any of NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources programs, please contact Stephany at 578-1401 or visit us on the web at www.NeighborWorks dhr.org