June 2019

Your Intermittent News & Updates

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When the Empanadas are HOT! (and the building renovation isn't so bad either)

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, and so many others, recently helped HHQ celebrate our completed restoration of the former Lasher Hardware building on the corner of Geddes and Fayette in Syracuse. The "taco-breaking" featured tacos and empanadas from local taqueria Ponchitos, who is expected to open in their new Westside location early this week. The restoration helped return the 2-story brick building from its occasional seedy use and appearance to an inviting mixed-use neighborhood anchor featuring three affordable apartments upstairs and the restaurant and cantina on the first level. Built in 1882, with the brick edifice we see today, the building has housed grocery stores, various saloons, a speakeasy, hardware store, storage facility and in the past few decades, a neglected destination for unlawful activity.

Pictured from Left: Syracuse Commissioner of Neighborhood and Business Development Stephanie Pasquale, Onondaga County Director of Community Development Marty Skahen, New York State Empire State Development Deputy Director Daniel Kolinski, Gear Factory Founder Rick Destito, Believe In Syracuse Executive Director MarkAvery Claridge, Ponchito's Frank Mignacca, Jr., The Allyn Family Foundation Executive Director Meg O’Connell, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, Home HeadQuarters CEO Kerry Quaglia.

Home HeadQuarters has been the primary residential and mixed-use developer for Syracuse’s Near Westside for more than a decade. While challenging and often costly, projects such as the former Lasher Hardware building restoration can spur additional investment and interest in undervalued neighborhoods. This project was made possible with support from The Allyn Family Foundation, the City of Syracuse, Empire State Development and NYS Main Street programs and NeighborWorks America. Click below for a short video tour of the Lasher Hardware Building

Welcome Kristina and Krystal

Home HeadQuarters welcomes Kristina DeGennaro (pictured left) and Krystal Brown to our friendly confines. Kristina joined the organization earlier this year as a Neighborhood Planner and Contract Specialist focusing primarily on State-funded projects. She's originally from Warwick, New York, and planned to return there in January after graduating from SUNY ESF. We are delighted that she chose to stay in Syracuse instead. Krystal Brown joined Home HeadQuarters in April as a Loan Officer. Krystal's friendly know-how will now be the first step for HHQ's many lending customers. Krystal is originally from New York City and came to us from Bank of NY Mellon. Welcome to both!

June is HomeOwnership Month June is National HomeOwnership Month and there's no better way to kick off a month celebrating becoming a homeowner than by giving a nod to NeighborWorks America and NeighborWorks Week. What's NeighborWorks Week you may ask? While y ou see Home HeadQuarters working every day to create housing opportunities for residents of Central New York, you may not know that we do so with the support of NeighborWorks America, a federally-chartered organization dedicated to giving people the opportunity to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities across the country. The NeighborWorks network is comprised of more than 240 of the country’s top community development organizations (HHQ is one!), which leverage the financial support, training and technical expertise provided by NeighborWorks to have an even greater impact in local communities nationwide. This week, Home HeadQuarters is proud to recognize the impact of NeighborWorks America on our work by celebrating NeighborWorks Week, a week when network organizations across the country show how NeighborWorks is impacting their communities. NeighborWorks America believes that every community in America should be a place of opportunity for its residents. We share that commitment for Central New York, and we appreciate your support of our mission. Learn more about NeighborWorks America HERE!

Syracuse's Northside Welcomes New Neighbors and New Home Last month, Danforth-Pond-Butternut neighbors helped HHQ, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, and others, welcome first-time homeowners Isha Mberwa and Omar Mnondwa and their five children, to their newly constructed home on Syracuse’s Northside. The new single family home, the first built in that neighborhood in more than a decade, replaced two vacant Landbank properties that were demolished. The first-time homebuyers, who have lived in this country for almost 20 years, worked multiple jobs, enrolled in HHQ's Homebuyer Education Classes , worked with an area lender to get enrolled in the First Home Club and researched every available program and incentive to make their first home purchase a reality. Big thanks to the Danforth-Pond-Butternut Taskforce who worked and organized to get this kind of development in their neighborhood. For news coverage of the event, visit our News & Events webpage here!

First North Street BEFORE & AFTER

Apprentices Test the Rehab Business Imagine having an internship that could give you the opportunity to test out a career field while being paid and it could last up to five years? Well, Cedric Alford and Shawn Hunter have that very opportunity before them as construction apprentices with TKTD General Contracting. The program, put together by the Upstate Minority Economic Alliance , Diversify-NY and others, puts interested applicants in touch with electrical, carpentry-related and general contractors to see where there may be a great fit. The construction apprentices pictured here are working on one of five Southside substantial rehab projects TKTD is undertaking for Home HeadQuarters this season.

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Energy Assessments Available for Small Business

The New York State Energy and Research Authority (NYSERDA) has recently launched a new energy efficiency program for non-profits and small businesses. Green Jobs Green New York Energy Studies will provide walk through energy assessments and provide access to low interest financing to assist with funding. The Energy Assessment includes a walk-through inspection of a facility to identify maintenance, operational or deficient equipment issues and also identifies areas that need further evaluation. Assessments will identify energy saving opportunities and provide a qualitative analysis of implementing energy saving measures and potential energy savings.  A small fee is associated with these assessments based on the number of Full Time Equivalent Employees (FTE). The chart below breaks down the fee schedule. For assistance accessing these assessments or guidance following an assessment, please reach out to Brendon Fox, Home HeadQuarters Community Energy Advisor at (315) 459-6645 or brendonf@homehq.org.

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