NeighborWorks Week 2020!
Every year during June, organizations in the NeighborWorks Network across the country celebrate Homeownership Month with Neighborworks Week, an opportunity to focus in on the work being done at the local level to increase affordable homeownership, create opportunity, and strengthen communities.
This year was a little different than most. Facing the converging crises of COVID-19, rampant housing insecurity, and racial injustice, we spent Neighborworks Week 2020 reflecting on our work, which has steadfastly been supported by NeighborWorks for 15 years. We convened and connected with colleagues and clients virtually and charted our path forward, recommitting ourselves to treating all people with dignity and respect, supporting strong and diverse neighborhoods, and uplifting community resilience.
Our work is not yet done:
According to NeighborWorks America's new survey, economic hardships are changing the way we live and widening the homeownership gap between families of color and white families. NeighborWorks organizations, like St. Ambrose, continue to make a difference: services and programs like financial coaching and down-payment assistance can help ensure long term economic stability for our communities. Learn more and review key insights from their
survey
.
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Resource for Renters: The top three things to know about paying rent during the pandemic.
- Open and honest communication with your landlord is very important.
- If you do miss a payment, you will still owe that money to your landlord, even though they cannot evict you right now.
- Your landlord CANNOT force you to leave your rental property during this state of emergency.
Click on the
image
for more information.
If you are having trouble dealing with your landlord, or have any other questions regarding housing law, St. Ambrose is here for you. Please contact our Legal Services Department at legal@stambros.org or 410-366-8550 ext. 209.
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Free Fans for Baltimore Residents 55+
Are you over the age of 55 and in need of a fan to stay cool and safe this summer? Baltimore City has a limited number of free fans to distribute to eligible residents.
Click
here
to view the flyer.
Call the Maryland Access Point (MAP) hotline at 410-396-2273 for more information or
you can also
click here
to complete an
application online
.
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Out of Reach 2020: The High Cost of Housing
Out of Reach 2020: The High Cost of Housing
, is a report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) that highlights the mismatch between the wages people earn and the price of decent rental housing in every state, metropolitan area, and county in the U.S.
In Baltimore, an individual earning a minimum wage of $11/hour would have to work 96 hours each week to afford a two bedroom rental home at fair market rent.
The report highlights that housing affordability is a long-standing racial justice issue, made clearer than ever during the pandemic. Historic and continuing racist housing policies and practices result in people of color disproportionately facing greater challenges accessing decent and affordable homes.
“The harm of this enduring challenge is laid bare during the COVID-19 pandemic, when millions of people in America risk losing their homes. The lack of affordable homes for the lowest-income people is one of our country’s most urgent and solvable challenges," said NLIHC CEO, Diane Yentel.
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One Day at a Time
As a teenager, Jasmine worked hard to graduate from Reach Partnership High School in 2017 and continued her education with Baltimore City Community College. However, life experiences dealt Jasmine several roadblocks which caused her to halt her educational pursuits.
During this time, Jasmine found herself homeless and living on the streets of Baltimore in abandoned houses. One day, Jasmine was introduced to St. Ambrose. She was about to finally be off the street and living in a home, which was an accomplishment Jasmine hadn’t imagined possible. Read Jasmine’s path toward healing and finding home
here
.
Interested in becoming a Host? Looking for new opportunities? Our Homesharing Department has been working throughout COVID-19 so that individuals and families alike can achieve security and stability while maintaining their health and safety.
To learn more, contact Homesharing at St. Ambrose today by calling 410-366-8550 ext. 248.
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2020 Community Investment Tax Credits Are Available!
Community Investment Tax credits help St. Ambrose raise critical funds that support families with programs that are both innovative and reliable.
As COVID-19 has shown us all, the work to ensure that individuals and families have a pathway to secure, stable housing, is critical today and every day.
Tax credits can help support the vital work of providing affordable housing, protecting families, and pursuing justice while
significantly reducing the out-of-pocket cost of your donation
.When you make a donation of $500 or more to St. Ambrose, you may be eligible to receive a Maryland Community Investment Tax Credit equal to 50% of the value of your donation. Community investment tax credits are in addition to Federal and State charitable tax deductions.
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Legal Services Summer Intern
Please join us in welcoming Jayne Touati as one of our new Legal Services Summer Interns!
"During a period of time full of so many unknowns and hardships, I am eager to be a part of an organization that values basic human needs above all else."
Welcome to the team, Jayne!
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Upcoming Virtual Workshops
Register TODAY for St. Ambrose’s Virtual Home-Buying Workshops!
St. Ambrose is offering FREE Zoom Homebuyer Education Workshops. The workshop can be viewed directly from your home computer or smart phone. You would need to make sure that your computer is equipped with a web camera to view the workshop.
Baltimore County Home-Buying Workshop
Date: Saturday, August 8, 2020
Baltimore City Home-Buying Workshop
Date: Saturday, August 22, 2020
*All workshops are held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You MUST register to attend the workshops.
Questions? Please contact us at 410-366-8550 at ext. 249 or by email at: intake@stambros.org.
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If you're worried about foreclosure, eviction, losing your home, or being unable to pay rent, we are here for you. Check out the resources we've created below and
contact us today.
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