Margaret Wallace faced numerous hurdles on her journey to homeownership, but in just 11 months, she transformed her reality from living in subsidized housing to owning a condo. A disabled, single mom of an adult child, Wallace’s story is one of determination, resilience, and the power of a strong support system. She had long dreamed
Construction is underway on two homes in the first phase of Working In Neighborhoods (WIN) Near-Net-Zero Urban Village in S. Cumminsville. The initiative aims to bring advanced green technology to low-income working families who have traditionally been excluded from the sustainable energy market. "WIN's Near-Net-Zero Urban Village will help improve the housing stock, help residents
Working In Neighborhoods is collaborating with Hamilton County and community partners LISC Greater Cincinnati and Habitat for Humanity to implement the Lead Safe Ohio program. The initiative, rolled out by Hamilton County Commissioners on May 16, provides $5.3 million to help eligible homeowners living in houses constructed before 1978 in Hamilton County and the City
June is National Homeownership Month, a time for current homeowners to celebrate their investment and for those who want to own a home to begin planning. Homeownership offers a lot more than just a place to live. It provides financial stability, community development, and personal well-being. Unlike renting, where you never know when the rent
“There’s not a day that goes by that I wonder, how did God give me everything I needed in this house? This to me is a miracle,” said 65-year-old Mark Stenson. In less than a year, Stenson changed his financial reality from “living disability check to disability check” to having financial stability. At 58, the
Thanks to your support, a lot was accomplished in 2023. We completed construction on and sold our 20th home in College Hill to a first-time homebuyer. New housing development opportunities are in the works, including a new rehab in South Cumminsville and WIN’s Near Net Zero Urban Village. Volunteers have been hard at work preparing
“Shawn’s goal after nursing school was to buy a home. The mother of three young children was tired of renting and paying someone else’s mortgage,” said Tammy Edwards, WIN’s HUD-certified housing counselor. The two met in October of 2023 after Shawn had attended WIN’s homebuyer class. It was there that she learned that WIN provided
“I just show up, that’s half the job,” said long-time Working In Neighborhoods board leader Ellen Frankenberg, Ph.D. In reality, Frankenberg does far more than show up. A tireless connector, Frankenberg, a retired family psychologist, has held numerous leadership roles in her more than 40-year volunteer career, serving as board chair, vice chair, and chairing
For Devoe Sherman, a single father of two young daughters, the experience of buying a home “was like going through a storm ... you don’t know what you don’t know," exclaimed Sherman. He used WIN's free, one-on-one HUD-certified housing counseling program to "get to a brighter day." Sherman wanted a home for his family, but he didn’t
The 5-room house built in 1922 is lit only by an overcast sky. Volunteers have emptied it of debris, except for 3 bags of concrete, a tripod, and a rake. The wall-to-wall carpeting has been removed, exposing its original solid wood floors. This marks the start of WIN’s next home rehab project that’s designed
