Reaching the Dream -- Overview

The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI) launched the "Reaching the Dream" (RTD) initiative in Portland, OR, in June 2003. Through this initiative, CFBCI will provide technical assistance (TA) and homeownership training to select faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) in the cities of Albuquerque, NM; Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Nashville, TN; and Portland, OR

The RTD initiative was designed to equip FBCOs in these five cities with the tools to establish home-buyer awareness programs. The initiative will bring FBCOs, financial institutions, local officials, and others together to address the needs of first-time home buyers. CFBCI will assist FBCO leaders at the neighborhood level as each develops partnerships within their lending community to tailor mortgage products and other resources to meet the needs of their constituents. At the end of the training, FBCO leaders should:

• Possess tools and resource materials that support future homeowner education training sessions
  
• Form partnerships with national lenders and organizations that will facilitate increased homeownership in targeted communities
  
• Gain greater knowledge about HUD programs, national institutions and lenders, and resources available to support home-buyer education in the targeted communities
  
• Understand the minimum qualifications and standards required to work with HUD or HUD affiliates in serving target populations

Content Archived: June 23, 2010