FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Anthony Walters, Executive Director (202) 789-1754
NAIHC partners with Wells Fargo for targeted homebuyer education program
(August 13, 2018; Washington, DC) – The National American Indian Housing Council (NAIHC) and Wells Fargo have announced a $400,000 initiative to expand NAIHC’s Pathways Home homebuyer education program.
The grant is a component of Wells Fargo’s 5-year, $50 million commitment to American Indian/Alaska Native communities. The Wells Fargo Housing Foundation award to NAIHC is meant to complement the down payment assistance program that was announced here by Wells Fargo and First Nations Oweesta Corporation, a native-owned community development financial institution, or CDFI.
NAIHC will provide our Pathways Home trainings to tribal housing professionals in the same communities that Oweesta will be offering down payment assistance. Combined, the two programs hope to increase homebuyer readiness and get more individuals across the finish line into homeownership.
The first train-the trainer session will be held in Bangor, Maine on November 5-9. NAIHC will train housing staff from the Maine tribes and the Four Directions Development Company, a native-owned CDFI serving tribal communities in Maine. Our training is open to all tribes, however, and information on registering for the event can be found at naihc.net. Once tribal housing professionals are certified at the end of our training, they will then be able to provide homebuyer education directly to individuals looking to purchase a home.
Earlier this year, NAIHC updated and re-launched its widely-used “Pathways Home” curriculum through the help of federal grants and other tribal and private donors. The Pathways Home course was designed specifically for Native communities, by helping Native American home buyers overcome the unique complexities and challenges of homeownership on sovereign tribal lands.
The Pathways Home curriculum consists of a train-the-trainer course for tribal housing and financial professionals, and materials for prospective homebuyers. It addresses a range of issues facing both American Indians and Alaska Natives, including credit repair, financial management and budgeting, finding a home, applying for a loan, predatory lending, and foreclosure. It also highlights opportunities including manufactured housing, the Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program, and homeownership opportunities on trust lands.
“I’m very proud of the NAIHC staff for all the work that has gone into our Pathways Home program over the years,” Said Tony Walters, Executive Director of NAIHC. “Our updated curriculum puts years of experience and best practices into a single course for our tribal housing professionals and prospective homebuyers.”
Trainers who complete the course receive a certification and the necessary manuals to use with individuals in their home communities. In return, the trainers will provide feedback to NAIHC on the course’s impact on homebuyers through a variety of measurements including loan applications and changes in budgeting behavior. Over 884 instructors have been certified since the program began.
“I look forward to working with Wells Fargo and Oweestsa on this project. Expanding homeownership in Indian Country has been a struggle and has always lagged behind national homeownership rates, so I am happy to see our organizations come together on a large scale initiative focused specifically on prospective Native homebuyers,” Walters added.
Under this initiative, NAIHC will conduct five regional trainings, with all costs and materials covered for tribal housing professionals. Outside of the Wells Fargo sponsored sessions, NAIHC will conduct additional Pathways Home train-the-trainer sessions throughout 2018. Tribal leaders can bring the benefits of Pathways Home to their community by registering for a session at naihc.net.
About the National American Indian Housing Council: The NAIHC is the only national organization representing the housing interests of Native people who reside in Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities. The NAIHC is composed of over 267 members representing 498 tribes and housing organizations. NAIHC is the sole, unified voice for promoting and supporting Native housing entities in their efforts to provide culturally relevant, quality, and affordable housing on behalf of Native people.
For more information about NAIHC, visit www.naihc.net.
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