News

EPIC Arts on KCPT’s Local Show

April 26, 2012

EPIC was featured on KCPT’s “The Local Show” the week of April 15, 2012. You can view the clip below. The EPIC portion of the episode starts around the 21:30 mark.

CHWC Awarded 2012 Grant by Greater Kansas City LISC

Jan. 13, 2012

CHWC is pleased to announce it has received a NeighborhoodsNOW grant in the amount of $40,000 from Greater Kansas City LISC. The grant will be used to transform disinvested neighborhoods into thriving communities where people want to live and work.

CHWC has been the NeighborhoodsNOW lead agency for the St. Peter/Waterway area since 2006. The 2012 LISC grant allows CHWC to continue their Community Building & Organizing initiatives in these neighborhoods. Steve Curtis, CHWC Community Organizer, will help organize a variety of events and projects in the community including art and youth development activities, as well as increasing community engagement among residents of diverse cultures.

“I am very excited about the resources this grant provides. It will help ensure that all of the work that we have done with arts and with the youth of this community can continue,” said Mr. Curtis. “Continued support of this type of engagement program is essential to long term sustainability.”

In addition, LISC awarded CHWC a $75,000 grant for minor home repair assistance to be administered to owner-occupied families in the Douglass-Sumner Neighborhood. The minor home repair grants will allow low-income homeowners maintain their home and help them preserve homeownership. In addition, CHWC was awarded a $75,000 grant for project management to oversee the construction of 4 new homes, also in the NeighborhoodsNOW target area of Douglass-Sumner. These homes will begin construction in 2012.

Through NeighborhoodsNOW, Greater Kansas City LISC has been at the forefront of the shift to targeting resources for the greatest impact. NeighborhoodsNOW is a comprehensive and strategic program that successfully provides targeted redevelopment in six bi-state neighborhoods. NeighborhoodsNOW brings together the private, philanthropic and public sectors in an extraordinary partnership. By infusing funding, programs, services and expertise into selected block areas, NeighborhoodsNOW is transforming them one by one.

“Greater Kansas City LISC, through NeighborhoodsNOW, is pleased to provide this important funding to CHWC to help improve neighborhood conditions,” said Julie Porter, Greater Kansas City LISC Executive Director. “CHWC have secured LISC funding by showing they will provide expertise and innovative services to NeighborhoodsNOW target areas.”

CHWC receives $50,000 grant from Wells Fargo

Dec. 19, 2011

Kansas City, KS – CHWC is the proud recipient of a $50,000 grant from the Wells Fargo “Leading the Way Home” program. CHWC is one of just 52 organizations in the country awarded funds from the Foundation, whose goal is to help stabilize and revitalize neighborhoods.

“We are very pleased to receive this grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation,” said Donny Smith, Executive Director at CHWC. “This grant allows us to continue our work to rebuild our neighborhoods, while reducing the number of vacant and blighted homes in our community.”

CHWC will leverage this grant with other funding received from local foundations, NeighborWorks America, Greater Kansas City LISC and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS. The grant received will be used to purchase and redevelop foreclosed and abandoned properties in the downtown neighborhoods of Kansas City, Kansas. Many of these neighborhoods, which were already struggling with vacant properties and blight, have been hit particularly hard by the struggling economy of recent years.

“These grants will help stabilize and rebuild local communities,” said Kimberly Jackson, executive director of Wells Fargo’s Housing Foundation. “We want to do what we can to make resources available to support efforts led by nonprofits to revitalize neighborhoods in cities that have felt the effects of financial difficulties and a challenging economy.”

CHWC Offers Suggestions to Avoid Foreclosure

Dec. 13, 2011

As the economy continues its slow recovery, many families continue to struggle to maintain their home mortgage. While it is never an easy decision to make, more and more choose to simply walk-away from their mortgage rather than continue to pay for something they can’t afford.

Because of the long-term, negative effects that foreclosure can have on your credit, Community Housing of Wyandotte County (CHWC) recommends several options worth exploring to avoid foreclosure:

Forbearance: You are allowed to delay payments for a short period, with the understanding that another option will be used afterwards to bring the account current.

Reinstatement: When you are behind in your payments but can promise a lump sum to bring payments current by a specific date.

Repayment Plan: If your account is past due, but you can now make payments, the lender may agree to let you catch up by adding a portion of the past due amount to each current monthly payment until your account is current.

Modify Your Mortgage: The lender can modify your mortgage to extend the length of your loan (or take other steps to reduce your payments). One solution is to add the past due amount into your existing loan, financing it over a long term.

Sell Your Home: If catching up on payments is not possible, the lender might agree to put foreclosure on hold to give you some time to attempt to sell your home.

Property Give-Back: The lender can allow you to give back your property – and then forgive the debt. However, givebacks have a negative impact on your credit record, although not as much as a foreclosure. The lender might require that you attempt to sell the house for a specific time period before agreeing to this option, and it might not be possible if there are other liens against the home.

CHWC encourages homeowners to call their mortgage company as soon as you begin experiencing financial difficulties.

“The worst thing a family can do is nothing,” according to Betty Johnson, CHWC Housing Counselor. “Call your mortgage company the moment you know you cannot make your mortgage payment. They cannot help you if they don’t know your situation.”

If you are experiencing troubles with paying your mortgage and would like more information about the above alternatives to avoid foreclosure, call CHWC’s Housing Counselors Betty Johnson or Omar Lopez (Bilingual) at (913) 342-7580.

Wells Fargo presents the Empower Me Tour

Oct. 28, 2011

Wells Fargo is presenting the Empower Me Tour to Kansas City Saturday 11/19 at UMKC. The Empower Me Tour encourages youth to take control of their academic, personal, and professional destinies. It is free to all. Click here for more information.

New Video

Nov. 4, 2011

Check out our new CHWC informational video!

Thanks to Mike Varel from KC Creative for helping us create this video. This short clip shows what we do here (every day!) at CHWC….Rebuilding Our Neighborhoods!

EPIC Course Schedule Released

October 11, 2011

CHWC, in partnership with Accessible Arts of Kansas City, has released the first schedule for the EPIC Community Arts Cooperative.

Click here for the schedule, and here for the registration form.

A full course listing can also be viewed by visiting our Events page.

Homebuyer Orientation Seminar

October 10, 2011

CHWC is pleased to announce a new homebuyer orientation series. If you are even remotely considering buying a home, these sessions are for you! Our professional housing counselors will provide free one-on-one sessions for anyone considering purchasing a home, and can answer any questions you may have about the homebuying process.

Sessions are the first and third Tuesday of the month from 5:30 – 7:00 P.M. at CHWC’s headquarters: 2 south 14 Street, Kansas City, KS 66102.

These sessions are FREE to anyone. There is no need to RSVP, simply walk-in! If you have any questions, please contact 913–342-7580.

CHWC to take part in Wells Fargo Homeowner Preservation Workshop

Sept. 29, 2011

On Tuesday, October 11 from 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM, Wells Fargo will be hosting a Homeowner Preservation Workshop for those who have mortgages with Wells Fargo and Wachovia. Representatives from CHWC and other non-profit organizations will be on hand to offer budget and credit counseling for those struggling to make mortgage payments. The event will be held at the Overland Park Convention Center – 6000 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS 66210.

Click here to view the event flyer.

Big thanks to Bank of America!

Sept. 9, 2011

CHWC was the proud recent recipient of a generous grant of $10,000 by Bank of America. The funds will be used for CHWC’s Urban Redevelopment Initiative.

Thank you, Bank of America!

Douglass Sumner Redevelopment

June 21, 2011

CHWC, in partnership with Greater Kansas City LISC, broke ground on four new single-family houses in Douglass-Sumner on June 21, 2011. Douglass Sumner is a historic African American neighborhood in the urban core of Kansas City, KS. The four houses represent among the first new developments in the neighborhood in over 50 years. The houses were financed by a $1.2 million HUD appropriation, sponsored by then Senator Sam Brownback.

Breaking the actual ground during the event were Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, Unified Government Mayor Pro Tem John Mendez, HUD Regional Administrator Derrith Watchman-Moore, Former CHWC Executive Director Susan Carroll, and long-time resident Beatrice Lee.

In addition to the four future houses, CHWC hosted open houses directly across the street at 716 & 718 Oakland (map), two new, single family homes. The houses were made possible thanks to HOME funds secured from the Unified Govt. of Wyandotte County.

For information on purchasing any of the homes, contact Beverly Easterwood at 913-312-8666, or beasterwood@umikc.com.

The event was well covered in the press; click on any of the links below to view stories from various news outlets.

CHWC now a HUD Certified Counseling Agency

April 1, 2011

CHWC is proud to announce that we are now a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Certified Counseling Agency. We are now recommended by HUD to provide:

Pre-purchase Counseling
Fair Housing Pre-purchase Education Workshops
Pre-purchase Homebuyer Education Workshops
Mortgage Delinquency and Default Resolution Counseling
Resolving/Preventing Mortgage Delinquency Workshops
Financial, Budgeting and Credit Repair Workshops
Home Improvement and Rehabilitation Counseling
Non-Delinquency Post Purchase Workshops for Homeowners
Fair Housing Pre-purchase Workshops

CHWC has long provided homebuyer education – we are very excited to be recognized by HUD as a trusted provider of this service!

To sign up for FREE homebuyer education, click here.

Free appliances for your new home

March 21, 2011

Purchase one of our homes before June 30, 2011 and CHWC will let you pick from one of the following free of charge:

50″ wall mounted LCD TV
Front loaded washer & Dryer
Refrigerator

Click here for a list of our homes for sale.

Call 913-342-7580 for more information about this offer.

Point of Entry series announced

February 2, 2011

Join us for a one-hour informational tour to learn how CHWC builds homes and connects people to the greater community!

Point of Entries are held at a model CHWC home. This is an opportunity for CHWC Staff, Board, and Homeowners to tell our story. Hear about the need for affordable housing in the urban core of Kansas City, KS, and see how CHWC provides high-quality, affordable homes for families and individuals.

We gather for a complimentary lunch and provide an overview of all our lines of business, programs, and activities. These events are open to anyone interested in learning about our work in the urban core.

Sessions are limited in size so you have an opportunity to talk with CHWC’s leadership. This is a free, one-hour informational tour not a fundraising event. Feel free to bring a friend!

View upcoming dates and register online.

Or, RSVP with Susan Carroll at 913-342-7580, scarroll@chwckck.org

You will receive a reminder with driving directions before your session.

New home available for purchase

January 5, 2011

1123 Grandview is now available. 3 bedroom, 2 baths, newly constructed. Downpayment assistance is available. See pictures and more information here.

2010 Year End Newsletter now available

December 10, 2010

Read it here.

To receive future newsletters in your email, click here.

Online Homebuyer Education classes now available

November 15, 2010

CHWC has partnered with eHome America to offer online homebuyer education courses. Click here for more info.

Sign-Up for our mailing list and newsletter

November 12, 2010

You can now sign-up for our mailing list and newsletter here. Both are completely free and the best way to stay informed about CHWC’s upcoming events & fundraisers, ongoing projects, homes for sale/rent, and other community news.

CHWC to offer FREE Homebuyer Education courses

November 5, 2010

Join us the second Saturday of every month from 9 – 4 PM for a complimentary homebuyer education course inside our community room at 2 South 14th Street. Buying a home can be an overwhelming process, this course gives you everything you need to know to make informed homebuying decisions. Click here to sign-up for the course. SPACE IS LIMITED!!!!

Topics include:

Budgeting
Understanding credit
Securing a mortgage loan
Shopping for a home
Finance Management