Our Team
Our History
In 1978, as the nation faced high unemployment, spiraling interest rates, inflation and an energy crisis, Working In Neighborhoods (WIN) was born to help Cincinnati’s low and moderate-income residents.
WIN joined with local residents to create an organization that would help them gain a voice in issues affecting them. By working side-by-side with residents and training them to become leaders, WIN helped residents impact issues including utility reform, quality, affordable housing, and quality-of-life issues, such as decreasing crime.
Led by resident’s desire to live in decent homes and to physically improve their neighborhoods, WIN began developing homes in 1985. In order to educate residents about purchasing a home, WIN began offering homeownership classes and counseling. WIN also developed partnerships with local banks which have yielded over $300 million in investments for WIN’s neighborhoods.
In 1986, WIN collaborated with Cincinnati Gas & Electric to ensure that low and moderate-income residents could afford their utility bills. Through this partnership, WIN developed a program so that low-income residents pay no more that 30% of their income for utilities. By working with CG&E, WIN’s energy program has become an effective resource for helping people manage their energy usage in an efficient and cost-effective way. WIN currently serves low-income utility customers in an 11-county radius.
Over the years, WIN has offered leadership training to organizations in 16 low and moderate-income neighborhoods from West McMicken to Mt. Healthy. We have sold over 160 homes to low and moderate income working families and educated thousands of first-time home buyers about how to purchase a home.
In 1999, WIN began developing the WIN Economic Learning Campus in South Cumminsville. The 5-building property on the site of the former St. Pius Church, is home to a community computer lab, financial literacy seminars and counseling programs, as well as youth enrichment programs including the South Cumminsville Youth Summer Camp and after-school tutoring. In the fall of 2006, WIN developed 18 units of housing for senior citizens in the former St. Pius School.
Visit Working In Neighborhoods Guidestar Profile, including recent 990s and Annual Reports.
WIN in the News
- Working In Neighborhoods — WVXU
- West Side neighborhood is going green with new Net-Zero Urban Village — Cincinnati Enquirer — July 11, 2024
- Greater Cincinnati celebrates first solar home sale in new ‘net-zero urban village’ — WKRC Local 12 — July 10, 2024
- Lead Safe Hamilton County will help homeowners get the lead out — WVXU — May 16, 2024
- Financial Literacy in Your Backyard — LISC Greater Cincinnati — April 24, 2024
- Brick By Brick: Affordable Housing Solution: The Port’s Approach — WCET — March 27, 2024
- Port Short: Working In Neighborhoods And Price Hill Will — Cincinnati Port — August 6, 2023
- Cincinnati Outbid Corporate Buyers To Keep Houses Affordable. But Fixing Those Houses Will Take Time — Next City — January 12, 2023
- City of Hope: A new mission to expand home ownership in urban neighborhoods — Soapbox Cincinnati — November 22, 2022
- Partnerships: Price Hill Will and Working In Neighborhoods (Video) — HURC — November 8, 2022
- It’s harder to buy a house. This city fought back by outbidding corporate landlords — NPR — November 3, 2022
- Stormwater damaging homes in Cincinnati — Cincinnati Enquirer — May 16, 2022
- More funding proposed to help first-time, lower-income homeowners — WLWT News 5 — March 30, 2022
- Port buys almost 200 family homes for $14.5 million from struggling out-of-town landlord — Cincinnati Enquirer — December 8, 2021
- Two advocates push to improve neighborhoods, Black homeownership in Cincinnati — WKRC Local 12 — November 18, 2021
- $11.5 Permanent Supportive Housing Community Opens in Cincinnati — Affordable Housing Finance — August 30, 2021
- South Cumminsville: For the Love of the Neighborhood — Urban Roots — July 16, 2021
- EPA Awards Cincinnati-based Working In Neighborhoods $120,000 for Better Watershed Management — EPA — November 5, 2020
Join Our Team
Mission of Working In Neighborhoods: Empowering people to make informed choices for themselves and their neighborhoods through community building, homeownership and economic learning. Working In Neighborhoods is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants must be able to pass a drug screen and background check.
2024-2025 AmeriCorps VISTA position at WIN
AmeriCorps Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA) members serve full-time for one year. Benefits of VISTA service at WIN include:
- Living Allowance: You receive a modest bi-weekly living allowance to cover basic expenses
- Professional Development Training: You have the opportunity to attend in-person and virtual training to learn how to be a community development change agent
- Non-Competitive Eligibility: Once you’ve successfully completed service in AmeriCorps VISTA, you will receive one year of non-competitive eligibility for employment in the federal government
- End of Service Award: Members can choose between a Segal Education Award (valued at approximately $6,895) to pay for a range of education expenses or a $1,800 cash stipend
- Other Benefits: Health Care; Childcare; Relocation Assistance; Paid Leave (10 personal days, 10 sick days); Loan Forbearance/Deferment (VISTA service counts towards the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program); $600 Monthly Housing Stipend
For more information about AmeriCorps VISTA service, visit the AmeriCorps VISTA website.
Economic Learning VISTA
The Economic Learning VISTA will serve with Working In Neighborhoods from August 2024-2025 in Cincinnati, OH. Working In Neighborhoods (WIN) is part of the Housing Counseling Corps initiative of Housing Action Corps, an AmeriCorps VISTA program managed by Housing Action Illinois since 2010. The Economic Learning VISTA will develop new partnerships, outreach strategies, and marketing materials to ensure our services reach households in need. Our ideal candidate will be comfortable with public speaking and demonstrate excellent communications, writing/editing, and computer skills. Prior social services experience is a plus!
Responsibilities:
- Increase housing and financial stability in our region by expanding WIN’s community outreach and partner engagement
- Conduct outreach with schools, churches, clinics, community groups, and social service organizations
- Create new engagement materials, including an FAQ handout and monthly newsletter
- Participate in Housing Action Illinois online housing counseling study groups and pass HUD-certification housing counselor exam
- Once certified, provide housing counseling through pilot programming of new WIN housing counseling services
Qualifications
- Some college
- Experience with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Publisher)
- Writing/Editing, Public Speaking, Communications, Social Services, Computers/Technology, Community Organization
- The ideal candidate will be outgoing and detail-oriented, have strong communication skills, and work well as a part of a team
Program Start/End Date: 08/26/2024 – 08/25/2025
Application Process: Interested candidates should apply through Housing Action’s Quick Application or the AmeriCorps portal.