NHS Named a Bank of America Neighborhood Builder®

Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago (NHS) and South Suburban PADS (SSPADS) have been named as the 2018 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders® (#Neighborhood Builders) grant recipients in Chicago from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. The nonprofits were selected for their work in the Chicago area to address issues fundamental to economic mobility.

As an awardee, each organization receives a $200,000 grant, a year of leadership training for the Executive Director and an Emerging Leader at the organization, a network of peer organizations across the U.S., and the opportunity to access capital to expand their impact. Over the course of Neighborhood Builders’ 15 years, Bank of America has partnered with 30 nonprofits in Chicago, investing $6M to help address issues fundamental to improving economic mobility for individuals and families, such as workforce development, community development and basic needs.

“Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago and South Suburban PADS are working every day to improve access to safe and affordable housing in the Chicagoland area. It’s organizations like these that remind me of why I love working at Bank of America and how proud I am of our Neighborhood Builders program,” said Paul Lambert, Chicago Market President, Bank of America. “This program is just one example of how we deploy capital in communities and build cross-sector partnerships in order to advance economic and social progress, as part of our approach to responsible growth.”

NHS is driven by the belief that homeownership is essential to strengthening households and communities. Through homeownership education, foreclosure prevention counseling and mortgage lending services, NHS helps families in need to build wealth, which in turn, stabilizes communities. The Neighborhood Builders grant will enable NHS to improve the overall capacity of the organization to support low to moderate income families. Through a combination of direct services and strategic collaborations with resident leaders, nonprofit partners, and the city of Chicago, this award will enable NHS to meet the evolving needs of Chicago’s neighborhoods and foster a strong homebuyer market.

“The Neighborhood Builders program allows NHS to continue to lead innovative community development solutions in six key neighborhoods in the Chicagoland area to achieve their homeownership goals,” said Kristin Faust, President of Neighborhood Housing Services. “With this additional funding, NHS will be able to help residents most in need to sustain homeownership, while stabilizing neighborhoods through extensive partnership initiatives.”

For 27 years, SSPADS has served as a leading provider of emergency shelter and affordable housing in the South Suburbs of Chicago. The organization’s goal is to not only provide shelter and housing but also to provide services to enable residents to be self-sufficient. SSPADS will use the funding from Bank of America to implement a new permanent housing option for those in need of additional support, as well as a family-focused rental assistance program. The funding will also go towards the development of additional shelter sites and administrative planning.

“Over the years, SSPADS has helped over 17,000 individuals, and the Neighborhood Builders grant will allow us to expand and assist an additional 1,500 area residents per year,” said Doug Kenshol, Executive Director of South Suburban PADS. “Being named a Neighborhood Builder, will enable us to provide more pathways home for people experiencing homelessness. I’m excited for SSPADS to be a part of this fantastic partnership with Bank of America.”

Since 2004, Bank of America has invested more than $220 million in 49 communities through Neighborhood Builders, partnering with more than 1,000 nonprofits and helping more than 2,000 nonprofit leaders strengthen their leadership skills.