With a vision to be a sustainable, recognized leader in community development, housing revitalization and innovative homeownership solutions, NeighborWorks Green Bay has been solving housing challenges and building stronger communities since 1982.
Over the last four decades, the organization has served Green Bay neighborhoods and the greater community with homeownership preparation services, down-payment and closing cost assistance lending, community-interest real estate development and other services, explains Noel Halvorsen, president and CEO.
Throughout that time, NeighborWorks has educated and counseled nearly 20,000 aspiring home buyers and existing homeowners, and it has helped more than 3,500 families achieve their dreams of homeownership.
“We just celebrated our 40th anniversary,” Halvorsen says, “and that’s a big part of what we do — the homebuyer preparation work. Anybody and everybody can benefit from that, because most families may only purchase one home in their lifetime — and how do you develop expertise in something you only do once?”
In recent developments, Halvorsen and his NeighborWorks team are working with the Greater Green Bay Chamber of Commerce and the City of Green Bay to assist first-time homebuyers through the Great Being Home program. Funded with $250,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act, it serves qualifying employees of participating Green Bay employers with up to $10,000 in down-payment assistance.
The goal of this program, says Halvorsen, is to help increase homeownership within the city, strengthen its neighborhoods, and help employers attract and retain talent.
Additionally, the NeighborWorks organization and its volunteers have worked toward alleviating the housing crisis by physically adding to the available inventory. One way the organization is able to create housing is through a partnership with the Bridges Construction and Renovation program, in coordination with the Green Bay Area Public School District.
The benefits are twofold: inventory is increased through new builds and renovations, and Green Bay high school students are prepped for careers in construction and trades.
Bridges instructor Brian Frerk is passionate about helping students gain the tangible benefits that come with hands-on construction lessons — like structural design, building safety, blueprint reading, rough and finish construction, modern design and home improvements — and diligent in teaching the soft skills necessary to be good contributors to their community.
He’s seen the program help many students find their way, while they work to create solutions to the community’s housing needs. The confidence they gain while building or renovating a home translates into confidence in tackling new skills and healthier habits outside of school.
“The most important thing they can leave with is an understanding that if you show up every day on time, you’re respectful and you put in a full day’s work for a full day’s pay, you’ll be ahead of about 90% of your classmates,” Frerk says of his students.
Though homeownership isn’t always the answer for everyone, it does have a great many benefits, and creates a strong community overall, explains Halvorsen.
“For those folks who do aspire to homeownership and seek to attain that American dream, we know from research that the children in those households perform better on standardized tests, are more likely to graduate high school and they’re more likely to attend college,” he says. “The family is more likely to be engaged in community meetings or to take charge of their neighborhood and set a course for a brighter future, for them and their neighbors.
“All those things aren’t exclusive to homeowners,” Halvorsen adds, “but generally homeowners are more likely to do those things than non-homeowners, so that’s an important part of what we strive for.”
Learn more: nwgreenbay.org and bridges.gbaps.org
