Homeownership

Homeownership is the foundation on which intergenerational wealth is built.

The national housing crisis is driving low-wage workers into substandard rental and motel units farther and farther from jobs, family, basic amenities and the chance to buy a home of their own. Despite low- and moderate-income mortgage grants and subsidies, the cost of workforce housing is still beyond the reach of most service workers. REACH is attacking this crisis on two fronts:

Education

REACH provides in-depth education and training, one-on-one coaching, and long-term support to families to prepare them for their journey to homeownership through its 7-Step Journey Home and REACH 4 Home Villages.

Research

REACH is engaged in R&D, through the REACH Housing Consortium, to design and produce high-quality, right-sized houses for a genuinely affordable prices, allowing families to stay in place while values increase, and they begin building multigenerational wealth.

Current Housing Programs

REACH saw an urgent need for workforce housing and quickly created a program that identifies affordable units already available and connects families with those units as they come available. This program offers assistance with the various application processes and

During COVID19 the REACH Projected focused on keeping families in their homes through emergency assistance programs and navigating the various government eviction programs.

REACH’s 7 Step Journey to Homeownership is a personalized framework where families have the opportunity to join a community of future homeowners. This cohort goes through a series of education series, workshops, and training modules to provide the tools and resources one needs to purchase their first home.

  • Step 1: Understanding the Basics

  • Step 2: Money Matters

  • Step 3: How Credit Works

  • Step 4: Homeowner Education – Neighborworks

  • Step 5: Finding the Right Lendor

  • Step 6: Choosing Your Home

  • Step 7: The Basics of Homeownership

Our Partners

Special thanks to our partners who have helped make our Homeownership program possible.

REACH 4 Home Villages

For those who need more time to establish credit worthiness and save for a down payment, REACH 4 Home Villages are small residential communities that offer workers a holistic approach to overcoming the multiple barriers that prevent families from escaping the grip of multigenerational poverty. The villages will include housing and community spaces designed to build individual capacity, nurture personal growth and development, offer lifelong learning, support financial self-sufficiency, and encourage participation in The REACH Journey to Homeownership.

The REACH 4 Home Villages Grand Vision

REACH 4 Home Villages will provide a high-quality affordable home in a community that fosters a transformational lifestyle and positively changes the trajectory of aspiring families for generations to come. Learn more about our strategies below.

Program Strategies

  • Fitness

  • Stress Management

  • Health Screening

  • Mental Health

  • Financial Counseling + Banking

  • Drugs & Alchohol Awareness

  • Healthy Nutrition

  • Gardening

  • Citizenship Counseling

  • Language Training

  • Gardening

  • K-12 Tutoring

  • Interpersonal Skills

  • Community Development

Physical Strategies

  • Honor’s Community

  • Community Center

  • Community Garden

  • Safe Play Areas

  • Fitness Facilities

  • Early Childhood Development Center

  • Nature Trails & Park Space

  • Farmer’s Market

  • Business Start-Up Incubator

REACH Housing Consortium

The REACH Housing Consortium is a collaboration of industry, academia, and NGOs that develops and tests innovative housing and community plans that challenge the country’s traditional workforce housing market by exploring and testing cost-efficient designs, construction materials and methods, and eco-friendly technologies. The Consortium will pursue innovations and encourage and support partnerships between nonprofits and industry leaders until there are multiple viable solutions to the workforce housing crisis.

Jorge Vanegas
Jorge VanegasAssociate Vice President & Director of the Institute for Sustainable Communities
Dr. Patrick Suermann
Dr. Patrick SuermannDept. Head, Construction Science, College of Architecture
Dr. Shannon Van Zandt
Dr. Shannon Van ZandtAssociate Dean, College of Architecture
Dr. Greg Luhan
Dr. Greg LuhanDept. Head, Architecture, College of Architecture
James Michael Tate
James Michael TateProfessor, Architecture, College of Architecture
Doug French
Doug FrenchOwner, StyleCraft Builders
Kenneth Neatherlin
Kenneth NeatherlinOwner, GroundFORCE
Mina Gerall
Mina Gerall REACH Founder

We’re Extending Our REACH

The REACH Program is currently looking at expanding to other university campuses throughout the United States. If you’re interested in learning more about how the REACH program can support your community, email us.