Area volunteers pitch in

to paint local homes

Volunteers with NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources are picking up paint brushes and setting aside free time to help area residents maintain the value and livability of their homes.

Using primer and paint donated by South Dakota Housing Development Authority, volunteers are repainting homes that belong to people who are physically or financially unable to handle the project themselves. The NeighborWorks groups are painting two houses in Rapid City and one each in Edgemont, Sturgis, Box Elder, Spearfish, Deadwood, Lead and Central City.

The Black Hills project is part of the 15th annual Paint-South Dakota, a statewide program sponsored by SDHDA to help homeowners in need, to revitalize their homes and help maintain the quality of life in their communities. In all, 14 organizations are painting 22 houses in 20 South Dakota towns, including Roslyn, Centerville, Hoven, Beresford, Doland, Watertown, Lennox, Frankfort, Tripp, Parkston, Redfield, Reliance Elder and Winner. 

Just a few of the groups volunteering with NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources are  from Northern Hills Federal Credit Union, First Interstate Bank, Bank West, Ketel Thortenson, TDG Communications, Ellsworth AF, Rapid City Police Dept.,  and local resident volunteers for all the towns involved.  “Partnerships and volunteers are what make Paint the Town such a successful event.  People and organizations giving back to the community is what this is all about,” stated Sharon Martinisko, NWDHR Community Outreach and Education Coordinator.  “None of this would happen without all the community support!”

Under the program, homes must be single-family, owner-occupied dwellings in need of fresh exterior paint. 

"For homeowners, a new coat of paint means a great deal. It protects the house from weather, maintains its appearance and improves the quality of their neighborhood. However, this can be tough to do if you are disabled or on a fixed income," said Mark Lauseng, Executive Director of SDHDA. "Paint-South Dakota is a great way for these residents to stay in their homes and remain independent. We applaud the volunteers who donate their time to help make sure this happens."

College Park Block Club Receives Donation

 Local couple Dan and Madonna Goodart donated a garden shed to the Lemmon Avenue Community Garden on May 23^rd, 2012.  The shed will be used to store community garden tools and supplies.  Anytime Towing donated part of their service’s to deliver the shed to the community garden.  Residents of the College Park Block Club and volunteers from the Rapid City Police Department spent the afternoon placing the shed at its’ new home and organized all of the community garden tools. 

NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources and the residents of the College Park Block Club would like to thank Dan and Madonna Goodart for donating the garden shed and Anytime Towing for donating a portion of their time to bring the community shed into the neighborhood.  

Box Elder Job Corp Students Volunteer at Local Non-Profit

Box Elder Job Corp Students Planting at Hills Apartment Complex. 

April 30, 2012- Eight Box Elder Job Corp Students donated their time to plant over 200 plants and flowers at the Hills Apartment complex to alleviate erosion issues.  The Hills Apartments are income based and operated by local non-profit and housing agency, NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources. 

Box Elder Job Corps General Education Director, Barb Hallberg, stated that the students have a great time putting their skills to use. “ Our students really embrace volunteer work.  They enjoy giving back and helping others.  We never lack volunteers when there is a community project that needs volunteers.”

Many of the students had never gardened before; they all enjoyed getting their hands dirty and learning about different types of plants.

Morgan Nadeau works the soil for the garden bed. 

Morgan Nadeau was one of the students that donated her time.  She has been a part of the Box Elder Job Corp program for a month.  She states that she really enjoys volunteering.  “It is fun to volunteer, we also get to know everyone better.”  Morgan said that this was her effort to participate in Arbor Day.  “I have always wanted to plant a tree for Arbor Day, and today is my Earth Day celebration!”

Job Corps students have been volunteering in NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources community outreach programs for several years.  The Box Elder Job Corp students have catered specialty events, participated in citywide clean ups, built garden beds for College Park Community Garden (formally Lemmon Avenue Community Garden), and have painted a home during “Paint the Town” for 17 years. 

 NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources Home Rehab Specialist, Robert Thorp, stated, “The students really work hard, we appreciate all of their efforts and time they donate. The partnership between the Box Elder Job Corp and NeighborWorks® has allowed the students to get hands on experience, and has provided NeighborWorks® with great volunteers for our community events.”

About Box Elder Job Corp: The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service operates the Boxleder Job Corps. It is part of the nationally funded department of labor scholarship for underprivileged youth ages 16 – 24.  The Center’s goal is to teach eligible young people job skills and help place them in related jobs and/or help further their education. Career training offered at the center includes business technology, carpentry, culinary arts, certified nurse assistant, electrician, facility maintenance, painting, networking and computer technology, union bricklaying, and welding. The center relies on scholarships making it so there is no cost for students or families who are interested. To enroll at Boxelder Job Corps, contact an admissions counselor at (800) 733-5627.

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® helps families and individuals Buy, Fix, and Keep their homes.  For more information on NeighborWorks programs contact Stephany at 605-578-1401

                                                                     

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