FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sacramento, CA – 13 July 2023 - NeighborWorks Sacramento, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization under the NeighborWorks America umbrella, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new housing education center, HOUSED Sustainable Living & Education. The event took place on Thursday, July 13, 2023, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the NeighborWorks Sacramento office at 2411 Alhambra Blvd., Ste. 200, Sacramento, CA 95817.

HOUSED, a renovated space on the first floor of the NeighborWorks Sacramento office building in Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood, was transformed into an educational hub for the community. As one of the few nonprofits in the area that owns its building, NeighborWorks Sacramento takes pride in providing this resource to residents in need of homeownership education. Lauretta Casimir-Mahoney, CEO and President of NeighborWorks Sacramento, stated, “You may have heard of NeighborWorks Sacramento over the last 36 years, but I can assure you that do not know the NeighborWorks Sacramento that exists today. This NeighborWorks is on a mission of restoration and reinvigorated with a deepened commitment to service.”

This space was made possible by Casimir-Mahoney’s vision and a $50,000 grant from US Bank. Ann Westrum of US Bank Home Mortgage explained, “We are proud to… support NeighborWorks as they make Sacramento a better place to live and work for us all.”

HOUSED will offer classes taught by NeighborWorks Sacramento's HUD-certified housing counselors, as well as guest educators such as real estate agents, mortgage officers, and loan officers. The curriculum will cover various housing-related topics, including understanding credit scores, homebuyer readiness, and the roadmap to homeownership. By promoting homeownership in Sacramento's underrepresented communities, NeighborWorks Sacramento firmly believes that financial literacy is the key to building sustainable and equitable neighborhoods.

“HOUSED, our new counseling and education space, was curated to empower and enlighten not only those on a path to homeownership, but those on a quest simply for sustainable living… Adjacent to HOUSED, we have ACCESS. ACCESS is a collaborative space designed out of necessity, and designed to foster innovation, and to support emerging entrepreneurs and businesses within our community. These spaces offer affordable connections to resources that often feel out of reach,” said Casimir-Mahoney.

The upcoming ACCESS space will serve as a collaborative hub offering an affordable print room, 5 rentable fully equipped offices, and 1 rentable conference room for meetings. This space is ideal for entrepreneurs and businesses emerging in the community. John Ojo, Board President of NeighborWorks Sacramento, explained, “Lauretta Casimir[-Mahoney] … brought NeighborWorks back to life: CPR, mouth-to-mouth recitation, AED has been brought out… this team has worked tirelessly to redefine NeighborWorks Sacramento with inclusivity and fresh perspectives. The spaces we unveil today are the tangible results of collective efforts allowing us to expand and reach our services to the community.”

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was followed by the unveiling of a new mural dedicated to NeighborWorks founder, Dorothy Mae Richardson. Renowned local artist and activist, Demetris "B.A.M.R." Washington skillfully painted the vibrant portrait of Richardson on the exterior facade of the NeighborWorks Sacramento office, proudly facing Alhambra Blvd. “B.A.M.R” also painted a stylized logo for HOUSED within the new space. These murals pay homage to NeighborWorks Sacramento’s service to the community since 1987.

NeighborWorks Sacramento welcomed partners, staff, board members, government representatives, and press, to the event. Attendees represented The Sacramento Observer, House Verbal, KCRA3, The Office of Caity Maple, The Office of Doris Matsui, US Bank, Asian Resources Inc., Sacramento Association of Realtors, Kelly Real Estate, Agent Kee Real Estate, Village Advocates, Quorum, All City Homes, and the Black Parallel School Board.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Jacob Haskell-Mendoza
Public Relations & Media Liaison
NeighborWorks Sacramento
(916) 530-2624
jmendoza@nwsac.org
www.nwsacramento.org