2000 Best Practice Awards

Best Practice: Indiana HUD and Indiana NAACP Partnership

Indiana HUD and the NAACP Promote Housing Issues

Elkhart. Community Builder Fellow Teresa Jeter-Newburn partnered in October 1999 with the Indiana chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to promote fair housing rights, affordable housing and economic development. The collaboration was announced at the annual Indiana NAACP state conference which was attended by an estimated 25 chapters representing 92 counties. This was in response to the State of Indiana's 1996 Assessment of Impediments to Fair Housing highlighted the need for a centralized, uniform method of receiving and documenting fair housing complaints. The report also documented that few communities in the state are prepared to handle fair housing issues. While residents are aware that housing discrimination exists in their communities, the number of documented complaints does not reflect the level of discrimination. The local HUD office and NAACP chapters promote fair housing rights through a public outreach campaign that includes educating residents about fair housing and assisting them in completing fair housing complaint forms. To date, 250 fair housing complaint forms have been distributed statewide.

Contact: Franklin Breckenridge, Phone: (219) 264-5675
Tracking Number: 1451
Winning Category: Program (Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity)

Best Practice: Ravenbrook Apartments

Ravenbrook Apartments Provide Affordable, Safe Housing

Indianapolis. The Ravenbrook Corporation demolished a 26-unit apartment building, consisting mostly of one-bedroom kitchenette apartments, and built the new Ravenbrook Apartments. Ravenbrook Apartments, with 15 new townhouses at the original site and at two duplexes at other sites is a project of the Ravenbrook Corporation, a 501 (c)(3). Ravenbrook Apartment’s three housing complexes are located near public transportation and within walking distance to many shops and services. The project, which enabled 19 low- to moderate-income families find safe housing and invested in excess of $1.8 million in the community, was made possible through various funding sources, including $48,000 from HUD and $387,000 from Bank One.

Contact: Charles Montgomery, Phone: (317) 931-8090
Tracking Number: 461
Winning Category: Program (Community Planning and Development)

Best Practice: Back Home in Indiana

Helping the Disabled Become Homeowners

Indianapolis. Back Home in Indiana assists people with disabilities to become homeowners. In selected areas, the organization establishes teams to work with disabled individuals; members include service providers and housing providers. Back Home in Indiana established a homeownership committee for Marion County and members include Habitat for Humanity, Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership, Near North Development Corporation, the local HUD office, Indianapolis Resource Center for Independent Living and Independent Residential Living of Central Indiana. Since its inception, one program participant has become a homeowner, two are working with Habitat for Humanity to become homeowners and three others are at various stages of purchasing a home. To help facilitate the homeownership process, Back Home in Indiana’s committee members offered monetary assistance. The Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership secured a loan from their portfolio at one percent below conventional rates and provided $5,000 in closing costs with the City of Indianapolis’ Home Investment Partnerships funds. The Indiana Department of Vocational Rehabilitation provided approximately $30,000 in funds for modifications to make the property accessible to the homebuyer.

Contact: Debra McCarty, Phone: (317) 274-6865
Tracking Number: 619
Winning Category: Program (Community Builder)

Best Practice: Tibbs Court

Tibbs Court: Innovation in Housing Finance

Indianapolis. Tibbs Court, located in the Near Westside neighborhood of Indianapolis, is a scattered site, 50-unit housing development, one of the first in the nation to be financed with a combination of low-income housing tax credits and public housing subsidies as well as HOME and CDBG funds. The Westside Community Development Corporation and the Indianapolis Housing Agency established the Tibbs Court Homeownership Preparedness Program for the development’s residents. By participating in this program, residents can reside in one of the Tibbs Court units, while attending a series of classes on homeownership. Residents build Homeownership Development Accounts to assist in downpayment costs. They also receive credit and investment counseling to prepare them for homeownership. Residents must establish homeownership, higher education and employment goals as well. To date all 50 units are occupied by residents enrolled in the program and 40 more people are on a waiting list. The program also has positively impacted the community by acting as a catalyst for new neighborhood improvement projects.

Contact: George Courtney, Telephone: (317) 327-5854
Tracking Number: 987
Winning Category: Geographical

Best Practice: NAACP Community Development Resource Center

NAACP Helping Gary Resident’s Increase Homeownership

Gary. To help the citizens of Gary increase homeownership, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Community Development Resource Center developed and offered a homebuyer workshop program, providing first-time homebuyers with the knowledge and tools necessary to benefit from the city’s down payment assistance program. In the city of Gary, more than 15,000 of the 40,752 low-to-moderate income households are renters. As a result, the center holds Fannie-Mae-approved workshops to prepare individuals for homeownership. Discussions include shopping for a home and obtaining a mortgage, managing the closing process and exploring life as a homeowner. More than 300 potential homeowners have participated in the center’s homebuyer workshop program and 214 participants have been issued certificates for successful program completion. These workshops were made possible with $30,000 from HUD and $100,000 from Bank One.

Contact: Jeanne Meggs, Phone: (301) 226-7237
Tracking Number: 159
Winning Category: Program (Community Planning and Development)

Content Archived: April 20, 2011