June 2020

Your Intermittent News & Updates

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HHQ's "We're Still Open" Reopening Plan

Whew--have we been busy! While we physically closed the office to the public in March, Home HeadQuarters never stopped operating with our staff, most of whom are working remotely, continuing to deliver needed home repair funds, home buyer education and counseling and mortgage financing. We even figured out how to conduct remote loan closings and continued our affordable housing construction efforts--just with lots more hand sanitizer! As CNY slowly and carefully re-opens, Home HeadQuarters is going to do the same. We will continue to provide all of our programs and services for Syracuse and Central New York families and will see customers in-person by appointment. Customers can still drop documents or payments off in the drop box located to the right of our main door, mail items to us at our address on Erie Blvd., and reach us by email at info@homehq.org or phone at (315) 474-1939. HomeOwnership customers can sign up for an online course, apply for closing cost assistance, get pre-qualified and meet with a realtor with just one call or email to HHQ. All of our loan and grant information is on our website along with applications to print out (or we can mail you one) at www.homehq.org . If you are an existing HHQ mortgage or loan customer and are experiencing a financial hardship due to COVID, please visit our COVID-19 HARDSHIP ASSISTANCE WEB PAGE for more information. We wish you good health and look forward to seeing all of you in the near future!

Geddes Federal Savings & Loan Association Invests $1 Million into Home HeadQuarters’ Local Enterprise Housing Fund

While this may look like an album cover (for our young readers, an album is a round disc that people used to buy to play music on a specific player), it is not. It's actually Geddes Federal Savings and Loan Association President and CEO Brian DuMond handing Home HeadQuarters CEO Kerry Quaglia the second installment of their inaugural investment in HHQ's Enterprise Fund. The fund, created by Home HeadQuarters to address health and safety issues in affordable housing like lead exposure, energy improvements and accessibility, provides Geddes Federal with an investment credit under the federal Community Reinvestment Act . Home HeadQuarters’ Enterprise Fund is considered an "EQ2" Investment, or equity-like investment, as the nonprofit is a designated Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) . Home HeadQuarters will retain Geddes Federal’s investment for 10 years and pay a quarterly dividend to the local financial institution. We thank Geddes Federal for being such a great community partner and helping to make a real impact in our ability to deliver quality, affordable housing for CNY families. Also pictured from left: Chris Lauricella, Assistant Vice President, Geddes Federal Savings & Loan Association; Tricia Bauer, Chief Financial Officer, Home HeadQuarters; Laurie O’Hara, Vice President, Geddes Federal Savings & Loan Association.

In the Spirit of NeighborWorks Week Every June since Home HeadQuarters first opened in 1996, the organization has celebrated national Home Ownership month kicked off by a week-long series of events known as NeighborWorks Week. The events, held by a network of some 240+ nonprofit housing and community

development organizations throughout the United States (HHQ is one!) highlight the work of NeighborWorks America , a federally-chartered organization dedicated to to giving people the opportunity to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities across the country. While the weeks' events and celebrations are now instead concerted efforts focused on immediate needs with COVID-19 and the country's fight for racial justice, NeighborWorks America and every organization that claims the NeighborWorks charter is still giving a shout out to the important work done every day by housing and community development organizations and those that support them. During times of crisis, we know we must reassess our goals and strategies and also stay flexible and pivot quickly as needed to reach them. Luckily, HHQ is experienced in the pivot, as we have always worked to be flexible and fill existing gaps in the local housing market. Did you know that Home HeadQuarters is the leading home improvement lender to families of color living in Syracuse, out lending all other financial institutions combined? How about that Home HeadQuarters is in the top five, in the country, for helping people become first time homebuyers? And that our homeownership classes and counseling, while currently all virtual, haven't stopped for a minute during New York's Pause due to COVID-19? So to all of our stakeholders, especially NeighborWorks America during it's week of resolve and focus, we say THANK YOU for helping Home HeadQuarters create long-lasting change in Central New York. Let's keep working together to improve people's lives and strengthen our community and make sure that we are working towards opportunity and growth for all.

Tricia Bauer Joins HHQ as Chief Financial Officer It has certainly been an interesting time for 25+ year accounting veteran Tricia Bauer to enter the nonprofit world from the private sector, but we are very glad that she did! Tricia joins HHQ as CFO overseeing all of our financial strategies, asset management, accounting and accounting staff. She has experience in a variety of industries including manufacturing, distribution, as well as, multi-entity cooperatives and places priorities on team development, process improvement and financial accuracy.   Tricia is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and holds dual B.S. degrees from Cornell and SUNY Oswego. Tricia lives in Cazenovia with her husband and enjoys hiking and working on the family farm.

Quick Links

Have an Emergency Home Repair, but you lost your job or substantial work hours due to COVID-19? We are currently working through our waitlist to deploy a second award from the CNY Community Foundation for our COVID-19 Emergency Home Repair Grant Program. Get on the waitlist and we'll notify you if we can assist.

City living at it's finest is available in a one-bedroom apartment located on the city's Westside. $719/month including utilities, off-street parking, in apartment dishwasher and washer/dryer combo. See HERE for a quick video tour! Interested? Contact Mary Jo at (315)474-1939 or info@homehq.org .

You can now make an appointment for the Syracuse Financial Empowerment Center online! Don't miss this great opportunity for free, professional financial counseling. Visit SyracuseFEC.org TODAY!

Home HeadQuarters' Emeritus Board Member Anthony Marrone, Founder and CEO of The Marrone Law Firm, has started an Action Fund to deploy resources to Syracuse area minority-owned businesses. The goal of the Marrone Law Firm Action Fund is to enhance access to capital, community-based professional resources and opportunities by providing capital, loans, sponsorship, pro bono legal representation of minority-owned small businesses, and volunteer efforts across the minority-owned business community. If interested in finding out more, visit their website HERE or text a donation to ACTIONFUND to 44222.

Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Building a Brighter Future for New Yorkers

HHQ was proud to be selected as a recipient in the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation ’s inaugural round of grant awards earlier this year. Founded to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable New Yorkers, the foundation awarded more than 500 grants totaling nearly $150 million throughout the state. At HHQ, we’ll be using the funding to correct health hazards in homes that we rehab for sale to lower income buyers, and in homes included in our lease-purchase program. The research is overwhelming, the quality of a person’s housing impacts their health outcomes in real and lasting ways. HHQ has long been committed to ensuring all Central New Yorkers have access to housing that is safe and healthy, free from lead paint, mold, radon and other hazards. This funding is a critical new tool in our efforts. Thank you to the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. *Pictured above is a HHQ single-family rehab on Syracuse's East side.

Home Ownership Manager and Director of Community Outreach Latoya Allen works on a new online installment of HHQ's Home Ownership Orientation under the watchful gaze of our summer intern Devin Dewane. If you are ready to take the first step in our HomeBuyer Education Program, sign up for the orientation HERE (you'll still see the old version for a bit until our video guru finishes his final edits)!

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