We're celebrating NeighborWorks Week with an Open House and everyone is invited! Come out to see the latest in new, single-family home construction at 209 Ontario Street in Syracuse, this Wednesday, June 5, 2024, at any time between 3pm-5pm. After touring, take a moment to learn how you can become a first-time homeowner, find out about all available financial incentives and save money on utilities and more as a homeowner! Get the chance to tour the new home and meet with HHQ home purchase professionals while you are there.

What's NeighborWorks America and why is there a celebration Week you may be asking?! Home HeadQuarters is part of the national NeighborWorks network, an affiliation of nearly 250 nonprofit organizations located in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Throughout the year, NeighborWorks network organizations empower people to take steps to reach their goals like becoming first-time homebuyers which ultimately leads to thriving, healthier communities. Last year, the NeighborWorks network provided almost 430,000 housing and counseling services and created more than 16,200 new homeowners. NeighborWorks Week is a celebration of our community and these accomplishments.

New Construction Open House - June 14

Join us for another open house during the busiest home buying month on the calendar! On Friday, June 14, from 1pm-3pm, at 306 W. Kennedy Street in Syracuse, come visit and tour one of five new, single-family homes being constructed on Syracuse's southside as part of Onondaga County's New Home Construction Project. If you haven't already, sign up for HHQ's 8-Hour HomeBuyer Education Course to get started on your path to homeownership! Or if you already have your Course certificate and have a pre-approval in hand and want to get started immediately, fill out a Home Purchase Inquiry Form.

HHQ's Latoya Allen Provides Testimony at NYS Senate Banks Committee Public Hearing

HHQ's Latoya Allen spent a very long day recently testifying at a public hearing sponsored by Senator James Sanders Jr. and the NYS Senate Banks Committee. The hearing, highlighting barriers that people of color, women, and low-income New Yorkers face when seeking fair mortgage and credit access, highlighted stark findings from recent investigations. Latoya shared information on Home HeadQuarters' unique mortgage program that makes it possible for the organization to direct more than 60% of its mortgage lending to families of color and talked about her personal homeownership journey. You can watch a video of the hearing here!

On Saturday, June 15, an in-person, one-day Spanish HomeBuyer Education class will be held at Home HeadQuarters. This class is required to participate in most first-time homebuyer incentives. There are a limited amount of seats still available. To sign up, visit https://www.homehq.org/education-and-counseling or contact Maddy at (315) 474-1939 or info@homehq.org

Home HeadQuarters will be closed on Wednesday, June 19, in celebration of Juneteenth.

HHQ just wrapped up its most recent EPA Lead RRP class with a full house! Attendees learned invaluable skills to keep homes safe from lead hazards. A big thank you to Daryl Heffron from Eco-Testing LLC for being our fantastic instructor! We still have scholarships available for upcoming classes! Visit homehq.org/lead-training to learn more and secure your spot.

And He's Back!

About 15 years ago or so, Elroy Edwards worked at Home HeadQuarters as a Rehab & Construction Specialist. After some time, Elroy left HHQ to run his own successful construction company. We saw Elroy regularly through his work for the SHARP program and for other home improvement customers and we got to see him every year when he volunteered for Block Blitz. But we still missed him! After much convincing, Elroy Edwards is back with Home HeadQuarters as a Construction & Rehab Project Manager. In his new position, Elroy will oversee inspections, work scopes and other contractor-related items for programming in both Binghamton and Syracuse along with overseeing some HHQ construction and rehab projects. Elroy says that it feels great to be back and even better to be working again as part of a team. We hope he knows this doesn't get him out of Block Blitz.

Lowell Niemetz Named Chief Construction Officer

Lowell Niemetz was recently named Chief Construction Officer for Home HeadQuarters. In this role, Lowell oversees all the organization's new construction and renovation projects subcontracted to local contractors. Lowell also manages all of the organization's rental property maintenance efforts, all project bidding and commercial construction and helps facilitate workforce development efforts. Most recently, Lowell served as the facilities manager for the G&C Foods Warehouse, a half-million square foot distribution center operating 24/7. He has previously worked for R.F. Esposito Construction; Lowell oversaw the rehabilitation of the Gear Factory, a visible and important project in the City of Syracuse, which Home HeadQuarters’ financing helped make possible. 

OnaJava Coffee House Slated for Mid-July Opening

OnaJava Coffee House owner Reggie Pickard says that things are falling into place for a mid-July opening at the 1555 S. Salina building. He's envisioning a Community Open House--a party of sorts with samples, music, maybe some art and as Reggie hopes, lots of friends, old and new.

Stay tuned for Community Open House details and times coming soon!

Local Construction Companies Getting It Done

Five new single-family homes on Syracuse's Southside are almost complete thanks to the hard work of three local construction companies: TKTD General Contracting (Owner Ken Kinsey pictured above), Donai Inc., and Edwards Construction. These companies, all New York State Certified Minority Business Enterprises, subcontract with Home HeadQuarters on a variety of projects, including assisting HHQ home improvement and emergency home repair customers.