After 46 years, allow them to reintroduce themselves: Why this nonprofit has a new name
Their stated mission is to strengthen communities through housing lending and education, but you wouldn’t have necessarily guessed that given the organization's name — The National Council on Agricultural Life and Labor Research Fund, Inc.
Since 1976, the group most commonly known as NCALL has worked to improve access to affordable housing on the Delmarva Peninsula for low-income people.
But even after all that time, the group's internal research found that few had heard of the nonprofit or knew what it did. To better convey the work they do, they decided to rebrand, and last week, the nonprofit held a ceremony to announce its new name − NeighborGood Partners.
To familiarize those who had never heard of NCALL, or are only slightly familiar with the organization, we spoke with Executive Director Karen Speakman to learn more about NeighborGood Partners, formerly NCALL.
How they started
The group originated in Washington, D.C., in 1975 as the National Council on Agricultural Life and Labor Research Fund, Inc., with the goal of advocating for better farmworker living and working conditions. With few private or for-profit developers in the mid-Atlantic area focusing on rural housing development, the organization decided to move to Delaware where it began working with community faith organizations to develop rural rental housing.
The group began offering homebuyer counseling services in 1989, and since then, has helped 10,000-plus families move into a home.
Continuing its mission to provide housing in rural areas like Sussex
Through the Loan Fund, NeighborGood Partners provides financing to nonprofit organizations with community development and affordable housing plans in the rural areas of Maryland and Virginia's eastern shore.
As a community development financial institution, they also will target lending support for some economically distressed urban areas found in New Castle County and Salisbury, Maryland.
Consumer housing education and community improvement
In Delaware, they provide consumer housing services to assist people interested in buying a home or in need of resources to stay in a home, including:
Pre-purchase housing counseling
Foreclosure prevention programs
Financial education
DEHAP rental application assistance
NeighborGood Partners is also the lead agency for Restoring Central Dover, a neighborhood revitalization program that supports the efforts of the residents of Central Dover to strengthen their community. Their support includes providing small business owners with education and resources to start or grow their businesses.
Does NeighborGood Partners serve nonprofits or corporations?
Yes. As a HUD-approved housing counseling agency, NeighborGood Partners also provides financing to nonprofit and for-profit corporations to create affordable housing options, develop community amenities, and spur neighborhood revitalization.
Throughout the 21 states in which NeighborGood Partners operates, the organization provides real estate and housing development consulting for multi-family housing projects and technical expertise for USDA’s Rural Development Self-Help Housing program, a program where families contribute sweat-equity to the building of their homes.
What current housing projects is NeighborGood Partners involved with?
Current projects include Millsboro Landing, a gut rehab of 34 units for family housing in Sussex County, and Villa Maria, a 74-unit senior housing project in Wilmington.
Last year, NeighborGood Partners built eight, 1,700 square feet of energy-efficient homes for families and has plans to build nine more next year.
Contact reporter Anitra Johnson at 302-379-5786 or ajohnson@delawareonline.com with tips and story ideas. Become a subscriber to access more stories and the best in local reporting
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: From NCALL to NeighborGood Partners: Why nonprofit rebranded
