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Who We Are: The Willow Grove Community Development Corporation is a non-profit [501(c)(3)] providing affordable housing for very low and low-income families. Additionally, the Corporation provides financial literacy training to assist tenant families to attain their goal of home ownership. Statement of Need Our community is in desperate and continual need of affordable housing. It is scarce and in high demand. Providing affordable housing is not a glamorous headline-attracting cause, but to the low income, hard working, wage earner, it is an absolute necessity. The Willow Grove CDC presently has an inventory of 51 rental properties and there are more than 140 eligible families on our waiting lists. The need is unrelenting. Mission Statement The Willow Grove Community Development Corporation (Willow Grove CDC) is committed to providing safe, clean, well maintained, affordable housing for families living between 50% and 80% of median income. Integrated in to the provision of housing is life skills financial management training for tenant families. This training encompasses credit repair (getting to the position of being creditworthy), budgeting, disciplined savings, and first time homebuyer training. The Willow Grove CDC implements the philosophy that affordable rental housing is the threshold for home ownership. Statement of Accomplishment In 1990, through the efforts of local bankers, clergy, attorneys, realtors, and concerned community members, the Willow Grove CDC began its mission of providing affordable housing, and over the past 15 years our growth has been steady: Our work to provide affordable housing is methodical and credible. Each acquisition and renovation or new construction project must be identified as a fair market value within the given community. Each living unit is inspected quarterly to insure our properties are well maintained and a credit to the community. Some of our work has been rather creative. In 1997, through an estate sale we purchased a blighted property, which was then serving as a ?crack house?. The house was demolished and in its place we constructed a new ranch style 3 bedroom home. In 1999, local government donated a home that was partially flood damaged to the Corporation so that we might move it to a new location and have it dedicated to affordable housing. Moving a large 2 story colonial house through the suburban streets with a myriad of overhead wires was quite an undertaking. We were successful, and a qualified family moved into this home in August of 2000. In 2002, we purchased a property, which was considered the neighborhood dump (abandoned vehicles, old paving equipment, concrete ruble, and mounds of trash and tires ? not to mention a dilapidated house). The house was razed, the property was thoroughly cleared, and a new 2-story home was erected in the place of what was once a neighborhood eye sore. We take pride in improving our communities. In 2003 and 2004, 2 dilapidated homes were purchased and demolished. By mid 2004, the first new home was constructed and by mid 2005, the second new home was completed and added to our inventory. In 2006, two adjoining properties used as a neighborhood-dumping site were purchased and a new twin home is planned for the site. In 2007 and 2008, we have been involved in attempts to acquire a commercial building in which to put 4 affordable housing units and the new construction of 3 new homes. Our property development team continues to identify and acquire viable properties for inclusion into our inventory, because our waiting list of qualified applicant families has now grown to over 140. Our fund raising efforts continue to seek to meet the high demands for affordable housing. Our counseling team continues to ready more families to become first time homebuyers. Again, the work is greatly needed, and the families benefiting from the lower than market rents we offer are working hard to achieve their goal of owning their own home. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
*** OFFICERS OF THE CORPORATION: (1)PRESIDENT; (2)VICE-PRESIDENT; STAFF AND CONSULTANTS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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