Your Monthly News & Updates |
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Elmwood-Creekside Neighborhood
Focus of 2023 HHQ Block Blitz
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We're zeroing in on our target area for this year's Block Blitz on Friday, September 15, 9am-3pm. If you live, own or work in the Elmwood-Creekside neighborhood, let us send some willing volunteers over to paint, patch, plant and more!
If you'd like to get involved by donating materials and supplies, baking chocolate cake for a member of the staff, sponsoring a volunteer team or in some other way, visit our Block Blitz webpage by clicking below!
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Pictured from left: Hilary Donahue, City Link Architecture; Christopher Reohr, NYS Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA); Kerry Quaglia, Home HeadQuarters; Leonard Skrill, NYS Homes & Community Renewal; Ivonne Fernandez, homeowner; Mayor Ben Walsh, City of Syracuse; Syeisha Byrd, Home HeadQuarters Board of Directors. |
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First-Time Homebuyer Ivonne Fernandez
Cuts the Ribbon to Her New Home
with a Little Help from Her Friends
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Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh joined Home HeadQuarters' CEO Kerry Quaglia and lots of community partners and neighborhood residents recently for a ribbon cutting for first-time homebuyer Ivonne Fernandez's new home on Syracuse's Westside. The home, built by Home HeadQuarters as part of the Mayor's Resurgent Neighborhoods Initiative with funding made possible through NYSERDA, NYS AHC and the city of Syracuse, is PHIUS-rated and considered a Net Zero home--it should produce as much energy as it uses.
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HHQ Welcomes Opey to Accounting Staff |
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Opeyemi Oyewole or "Opey" as she prefers to be called, recently joined Home HeadQuarters Accounting team as the Payroll & Program Administrator. Opey is responsible for all of HHQ's payroll processing, coordinating employee benefits and assisting with reporting. Opey has "always loved numbers" starting at a young age when she helped her Mom organize and keep the books for the family's grocery store in Nigeria. Opey came to the States for school and got her degree at UNC before moving to New York State for a job. She loves to travel and take classes in subjects outside of her accounting field. She says she is, "excited to work for people who do good things!" |
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Mini-Block Blitz at Your House? |
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The Brady Faith Center, an organization that works to serve the needs of people living in Syracuse's Southwest community, is hosting high school kids in a summer service program providing minor repair to city homeowners. Service teams could provide from Monday, July 17 to Thursday, July 20:
Landscaping
Fencing
Painting / Staining
Repairing Steps
Gardening
All service teams will be supervised by an adult. Brady Faith is hoping that interested homeowners could provide the materials for the project. If interested in participating, email info@homehq.org to be placed on a contact list.
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Buffalo's Open House event spilled out into the hallway of the Larkin Building office. |
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Home HeadQuarters' Buffalo Team has had an exciting month of June with two successful events! On June 14, HHQ Buffalo hosted an open house celebrating the official opening of the Buffalo Office. The event welcomed more than 50 of our new and old friends from all over Western New York representing people from other non-profits, real estate, local and state government, elected officials, and more. As everyone got the chance to explore the new Larkinville neighborhood office, they also learned about all the HHQ programs available in Western New York.
The very next day, HHQ Buffalo put on their first Contractor Breakfast introducing local contractors to HHQ programs, customers and future development efforts. If you, or a contractor you know would like to know more about HHQ's home improvement programs, financing opportunities and/or contractor needs for residential construction efforts, please reach out to Program Manager, Nina Zesky at nina@homehq.org or (716) 314-1530. For more information about programs available in Western New York, visit Home HeadQuarters' Buffalo page on the website.
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Lowell Niemetz Joins HHQ
Construction Management Team
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Lowell Niemetz recently joined HHQ as a Construction Project Manager helping to manage the organization's new single-family home construction in Syracuse and the organization's efforts to improve SMNC's rental portfolio.
Lowell comes to HHQ with more than 20 years of construction experience including local commercial development, capital projects and as a small business owner for residential carpentry projects. He credits his decision to learn the skilled trade of carpentry as one of the best decisions he made as a young man and thinks others could benefit from going into the skilled trades, too.
As a previous HHQ homebuying customer, Lowell is excited to be working for an organization that is so involved with every aspect of homeownership and housing and hopes that he can help bring that mission to others. When not trying to figure out all the moving pieces of HHQ, he's trying to keep up with his 13 year old son and the new puppy they both thought would be a great addition to the family. At the moment they both agree that a puppy in the house is a "life changing event."
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Notes, Dates and Summer Fun |
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Home HeadQuarters July HomeBuyer Education Classes begin on July 3, 2023, due to the July 4 holiday. Classes are online and offer a live and local version of our HomeBuyer Education Course both in the mornings and evenings. This local version of the class includes local lenders, home inspectors, insurers and other housing professionals and will allow for questions throughout the sessions. The 8-hour Homebuyer Education course teaches the key aspects of purchasing a home. The certificate for attending the class and meeting with a HHQ HUD-certified Housing Counselor is required for most first-time homebuyer programs including Closing Cost Assistance and the Home Buyer Dream Program.
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Visit the Syracuse FEC website to make an appointment today for free financial counseling!
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File this under NOT summer fun: Home HeadQuarters is holding a free, informational workshop that addresses city of Syracuse tax foreclosures on Tuesday, July 25, at 5:30pm, online via Zoom. The workshop provides a timeline of the foreclosure process, an overview of tax trusts, HHQ programs and other support services and next steps for property owners in the foreclosure process.
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For many (but not all!) of Home HeadQuarters grant-related lending programs, for both home purchase and home repair, a certain household income level is required for eligibility. For example, to take advantage of the Onondaga County 1% Loan & Grant Program, your household income must be at or below 80% of the area median levels as determined by the U.S. Department of HUD or other governmental entities depending upon the source of those funds. This is really a long-winded bit to let you know that those income limits change every year and if you didn't qualify for a program before, you may be eligible now. Check out Syracuse's income limits here!
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Home HeadQuarters has various 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom apartments for rent in the city of Syracuse. If you are interested in learning more, please come to the office at 538 Erie Blvd. West, to request a Rental Inquiry Form. Income eligibility requirements apply to all apartments.
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Excellus Health Equity Award |
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Thank you to Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield for selecting Home HeadQuarters as a Health Equity Award Recipient! Health Equity Awards provide funding to community programs that address racial and ethnic health disparities across Upstate New York. HHQ used the award to support our Windows and Doors replacement program--removing the most common lead hazards from rental housing in Syracuse neighborhoods with the highest rates of elevated childhood lead levels! Thanks for helping to make housing healthier Excellus BCBS!
The Syracuse Windows & Doors Program is currently closed, but is expected to reopen soon. Stay tuned!
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Now for the Truly Important Stuff |
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What color should our construction team paint the columns? It seems the third house as part of HHQ's Resilient Corners Energy Showcase and Resurgent Neighborhoods Initiative and its color scheme is momentarily stumping the crew. So give us your opinion on this last bit of exterior work and we'll share it with the crew (no guarantees on the listening part, but we'll try!). Fill out the quick survey below! |
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What color should the crew paint the columns?
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A different color altogether
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