• To advance community development programs that empower, transform and improve the lives of low and moderate income individuals  and families

• To develop affordable housing, counseling, education and other supportive services for the community that it serves within the contiguous Counties of Miami-Dade and Broward, located within the State of Florida

  Four critical barriers that keep people from achieving their housing goals:

  1. Insufficient income to support currently high rents and prices;

  2. Lack of knowledge as to how to access available subsidies and programs; 

  3. Lack of a coherent system that aligns federal, state, local government and  philanthropic  resources;  

  4. Individuals not knowing how debt and credit issues affect credit worthiness or how to repair credit (financial planning).

   Using a case management system, individuals and families meet confidentially with certified housing counselors to assess their housing needs and to design individual strategies for gaining access to housing.  On the supply side, the Center connects with providers of "community housing" (developers, brokers, property owners) to create an inventory of available homes for purchase or rent.

  The NANAY Housing Resource Center is unique among housing counseling agencies in that it maintains an effective tracking system of its members (any one who has used its services to get housing) and recognizes the importance of maintaining a "post purchase" or on-going system of support for members--whether through loans for housing emergencies, guided access to pre-qualified plumbers, electricians and other home service technicians. 

  The NANAY Housing Resource Center serves to create strategic community partnerships with state and local governments, real estate developers, employers, and nonprofits through an alignment of effort and resources that will  address the housing needs of  individuals and families who have a hard time accessing the housing market. 

  In June 2004, NANAY established the NANAY Community Development Corporation (NANAY-CDC) to develop affordable housing, and homeownership counseling for low-moderate income families. In 2005, NANAY offered financial literacy program and asset-building strategies for low- and moderate-income families in North Miami. In 2006, NANAY-CDC opened its NANAY Housing Resource Center (NHRC) as a one-stop center where people with housing needs can get information about available resources and access a support network that helps them sustain their housing after they buy or rent, qualify for home ownership, learn about government down payment assistance programs, learn ways to reduce their debts, and improve their living situation. In November 2006, NHRC hosted the "I Need Help in Housing" Fair that was attended by 200 participants . NANAY also partnered with Neighborhood Housing Services and Little Haiti Housing Association to form the Housing Partnership of North Miami, which was recently approved by North Miami CRA to provide homebuyer training, credit pre-qualification and purchase assistance services to prospective buyers of its afforable housing project. In May 2006, NANAY was also designated as one of the 20 Magic Johnson Community Empowerment Centers across the U.S., to provide state-of -the-art virtual technology for all youth and adult program participants. The initiative will offer financial and homeownership counseling, adult education, basic skills training, English as a second language education, entrepreneurial programs, literacy training, web-based interactive learning and leadership development for both elders and youth. 

   

·         Homebuyer educational and counseling services include orientation seminars, pre-purchase counseling, homebuyer education classes, case management and social services referrals. Clients learn how to repair their credit and create a monthly budget; how to navigate the process of prequalification and pre-approval; and how to understand the different portions of their mortgage payment .

·     NHRC conducts screening and assessment of all eligible applicants to determine the appropriate category or program of case management services that they need to meet the Miami-Dade County's criteria for the receipt of a home purchase subsidies.  

·     Post-purchase counseling will be given for those who have already achieved their dream of homeownership to insure that they can maintain their new homes; as well as group discussions led by members, themselves, to address the challenges of homeownership, increase homeowner's ability to deal with these challenges, identify their special needs, inform them about the various services and resources that are available, enable them to recognize signs of stress from homeownership, and improve their financial situation.  

·     Forums and town hall meetings are scheduled on a periodic basis as a public education program designed to increase awareness among homeowners regarding current legislation and government rulings related to housing and homeownership, and educate homeowners regarding ways to avoid foreclosure.

·     The Magic Johnson Community Empowerment Center serves as a resource for clients to learn how to use computers in searching for information on homebuying.