Views from the Northwest Bronx

UNHP was one of the sponsors of the 10/29/18 CRA at a Crossroads Forum; Understanding the Impact and Ensuring the Future of the Community Reinvestment Act. The well-attended Forum was held at the Lincoln Center campus of Fordham University and featured a speech by FDIC Board member Martin J. Gruenberg and a community development panel.

On Saturday, October 20th, UNHP held its 2nd annual Bronxtober Fest – offering a wide range of on-the-spot assistance for the crowd of over 80 Bronx residents. Thanks to our Fordham University and Manhattan College student volunteers, over 60 attendees enrolled in Housing Connect, NYC’s online affordable housing lottery.

A big thank you to our generous sponsors, beneficent raffle donors, unique food and beverage vendors and – of course, our over 150 delightful guests that made our 2018 Fundraiser at The Bronx Beer Hall a success!

On June 28, 2018, UNHP hosted a well-attended forum on the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) as it moves towards modernization, 40+ years after it was first legislated.

“For immigrants - undocumented, new arrivals and even foreign-born citizens – access to banking is the first step to making sense of financial systems in the US”

As part of UNHP’s continued effort to assist Bronxites throughout their homeownership journey, UNHP held a two-part First-time Homebuyer FastTrack Series on May 1st and 19th at Concourse House.

Claudette is a Bronx Renaissance woman – Lehman College student, aspiring social worker, President of the Lehman Adult Degree Program Student Association, mother of six children, and an Intake Specialist and Housing Connect intern for UNHP.

What does it mean to be financially fit - good credit, a savings plan, a professional fee-free tax preparer, an up-to-date home mortgage, housing security? UNHP offered access to a range of financial and housing services to address all these financial fitness needs at our 2018 Open House.

Alternative Financial Services (AFS) – check cashing, rent-to-own stores, pop-up tax prep sites and pawn shops - are about equal in number to banks branches in the Bronx. The high interest rates and excessive fees, associated with these services, make it challenging to stay out of debt, let alone build wealth.

On Saturday, October 28, four nonprofit experts, three NYC agencies, four local banks and 127 Bronxites came together to make the UNHP Bronxtober Resource Fest a successful community affordable housing and financial empowerment day.