Your Intermittent News & Updates |
|
How to Keep it Going?
Be Nimble, Creative and Resolute!
|
|
It is often said that truly great organizations really prove their mettle during times of crisis. I can say, unequivocally, that Home HeadQuarters met the challenge of COVID-19 head-on, and I have never been more proud of our staff and board members for their dedicated work throughout the crisis. Determined early on to be an “essential service provider,” HHQ remained open to the public, providing much-needed emergency services throughout the pandemic.
In near-record time, we needed to create the capacity for many staff members to work productively from home and to be able to communicate and collaborate with each other so that we could move cases from intake to closure while creating a seamless process for our customers. Moreover, while deploying our normal programming expeditiously to meet urgent needs in our community, we also were tasked with implementing new programs that were created to respond to the crisis. We are grateful to the CNY Community Foundation, The Allyn Family Foundation, Bank of America, City of Syracuse, Onondaga County, NeighborWorks America, and many others who provided HHQ with supplemental assistance throughout the COVID-19 crisis so that we could respond to the needs of our community.
Responding to a crisis has taught us a lot about ourselves and about our community. Our housing and economic ecosystem is much more fragile than we ever imagined. At a moment’s notice, owners, tenants, investors, small businesses and other not-for-profits may have a desperate need for capital or for services. We have learned that HHQ can respond to these calls for action by being nimble, creative, and resolute. Having discovered this, we know there will be no going back. Our staff and board will be ready and well-equipped to deal with whatever challenges may lie ahead. Read more about HHQ's 2020 in our annual report.
|
|
Mary Alice Smothers: Plenty of Grit, a Whole Bunch of Attitude and a Heart of Gold |
|
Mary Alice Smothers
1953-2020
|
|
She was loud. When Mary Alice Smothers entered a room, you, along with everyone else, knew it. She could be demanding, especially if she was trying to get something for "the kids." If Mary Alice thought someone could provide something for whatever event, project or giveaway she was organizing for "the kids," she wouldn't hesitate to ask--any person, any time, any where--until she got it. She believed, with her whole heart, that every single kid, no matter what neighborhood they came from, deserved what every other kid got and it better be something good. |
|
Mary Alice organized semi-formals, holiday toy giveaways, "fancy" dinners with etiquette instruction. She coordinated dance lessons, service hours and computer time. You would often see Mary Alice leading a parade of kids and inserting them into whatever event she was either coordinating, volunteering in or rescuing. She truly never stopped.
Mary Alice was always most demanding of herself. She worked tirelessly for her neighborhood, her kids and most of all her city. From elected officials to local celebrities, to all of the staff of Home HeadQuarters and Syracuse Weed & Seed, everyone would always say that we all really worked for Mary Alice. Even after her health failed, people around town continued to get phone calls, listening to Mary Alice issue commands from her bed--this neighbor needs help, another senior citizen is asking for assistance, the kids should have something.
And now it's quiet. Too quiet. We miss her already.
Read more about Mary Alice here.
|
|
Home HeadQuarters Westside Apartments
New Units Available--One Fully-Accessible
|
|
Four newly constructed apartments are now available on Syracuse's Westside--and one unit is fully-accessible--all as part of a 14-unit Home HeadQuarters' project made possible by New York State's Small Rental Development Initiative (SRDI).
Each of the 3-bedroom apartments will be available starting January 1 and include in-apartment laundry, brand new appliances, private entrances, off-street parking and more. The accessible unit is also a 3-bedroom and highlights an accessible entrance, a roll-in shower and lowered counters and countertops.
For more information or to request an application, contact:
|
|
|
|
Meet Gwenique Blake: HHQ's First Move In for the Westside Apartments! |
Gwenique was determined to be the first to move into HHQ's Westside Apartment SRDI project.
Read more about the Loretto nursing assistant's travels to her new apartment in our Annual Report HERE!
|
|
|
|
Grants Now Available Through
CNY Accessibility Fund
|
|
The CNY Accessibility Fund at Home HeadQuarters, in partnership with CNY Fair Housing, is now available for both renters and homeowners with disabilities who live in Central New York to help with modifications to make their homes more accessible. Eligible applicants can take advantage of up to $5,000 to make modification improvements such as ramps, grab bars, flashing smoke alarms and more. If project costs exceed the available grant amount, participants may be able to take advantage of HHQ home improvement loans. This grant funding is extremely limited and available on a first come, first served basis.
Learn more and print out an application HERE!
|
|
HHQ Info Shorts
(not the kind you wear)
|
|
Almost every year, HHQ brings a group of neighborhood residents to an amazing NeighborWorks America event called the Community Leadership Institute (CLI). Last year, when we could all still travel about, HHQ brought a group to Chicago to work on a community-based project focused on what kids, primarily from Syracuse's Southside, want to see in their neighborhood. Here's a kickoff video that the kids put together of the group's plan of action:
|
|
|
City of Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh recently announced that the Syracuse Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) has helped Syracuse residents reduce more than $1 million in debt since July 2019, through free, professional, one-on-one, financial counseling sessions. Read more from the Mayor's announcement HERE!
Make your FREE FEC appointment today HERE!
|
|
You may know that Home HeadQuarters is the leading home improvement lender in Syracuse and the second leading home improvement lender in Onondaga County, but did you know that HHQ also fills financing gaps for other non-profits and local businesses? Scroll down to our lending section in our annual report and read about our most recent gap financing project helping the Barnes Mansion repair their iconic columns and get a new roof (and that was a pretty big roof!) HERE!
|
|
Welcome 2021 HHQ Board of Directors! |
|
HHQ held its Annual Meeting via Zoom (sigh) last month and elected its slate of officers, welcomed new members to its Board, renewed member terms and said a heartfelt goodbye to those retiring from our board. Please help us welcome the following new HHQ Board members (you can see all of our Board HERE!):
|
|
|
|
Chris Terrell, Bank of America
Chris is a Commercial Underwriter in Bank of America’s Commercial Banking division.
Chris currently serves as the Syracuse Bank of America Community Volunteers Chair where, amongst other things, he is responsible for organizing the BoA Block Blitz team. Chris is a current member of HHQ’s Loan Committee and has served with Habitat for Humanity Veterans Build Committee, Village of Liverpool Trustee and Finance Committee Co-Chair, and CNY CA$H Coalition member. Bank of America is a corporate member of Home HeadQuarters.
|
|
|
|
Isha Mberwa, AccessCNY
Originally from Somalia, Isha first came to the U.S. to a refugee camp in Utah. Isha moved to Syracuse a decade ago in search of a home near her husband’s family. Last year, the family became first-time homebuyers on Syracuse’s Northside. Isha works at AccessCNY as Human Resource Specialist and has been working with diverse populations to set up specialized homebuyer outreach for New Americans. Isha speaks many languages and is fluent in English, Swahili, Kizugia, Maay Maay and Somali.
|
|
|
|
Chad Northrup, Syracuse University
Chad Northrup first became acquainted with Home HeadQuarters as their Lowes Commercial Account representative -- assisting with Block Blitz each year and general day to day needs. He now rents an HHQ-built home on Syracuse’s Westside and hopes one day to enroll in HHQ’s Homebuyer Education to become a first-time homebuyer. He currently works in Financial Aid for Syracuse University and for several off-campus housing companies, as a project manager and media coordinator. He is a local musician that has performed and released music for several years. He is a father to a three-year-old girl named Olivia.
|
|
|
|
Stephen Gross, KeyBank
Steve is a Senior Banker with KeyBank’s Real Estate Capital Group. Prior to Key, he worked for Syracuse City government in various positions including Deputy Commissioner of Finance. Steve holds a MBA from Syracuse University and a BS from Le Moyne College. He currently serves as a Director and Loan Committee Member for the Syracuse Economic Development Corporation and is a Business Committee Member for Home HeadQuarters. KeyBank is a corporate member of Home HeadQuarters.
|
|
House for Sale (Can we say Cute House?) |
|
This 3-bedroom house located on Syracuse's Southside is for sale! You can check out the listing HERE!
|
|
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED OUR WORK THIS YEAR! FOR A FULL LIST OF HHQ DONORS, PLEASE SEE OUR ANNUAL REPORT HERE! IF YOU CAN HELP US CONTINUE OUR EFFORTS TO SERVE SYRACUSE AND CENTRAL NEW YORK, ESPECIALLY DURING THIS UNPRECEDENTED TIME, PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT AND CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
