Habitat for Humanity East Bay

Neighborhood Stabilization Program

Habitat for Humanity East Bay kicked off its Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) on February 4th, 2010 in partnership with Contra Costa County Department of Conservation and Development, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD), program sponsor, The Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation, and rehab sponsor Bank of America.

The event was held at the first rehabilitation work-site located at 32 Bayview Avenue in Bay Point, CA. Among those in attendance were Kathleen Odne, Executive Director of the Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation, Drew Lisac, leader of Bank of America’s Corporate Social Responsibility programs in the East Bay as well as one of our Habitat NSP families, Jeronimo Hernandez and Nancy Martinez and their children Vanessa and David.

The NSP was established for the purpose of stabilizing communities that have suffered tremendously from foreclosures and abandonment through the purchase and redevelopment of foreclosed and abandoned homes.

“This day has been nearly a year in the making. We are so excited to begin working with the Neighborhood Stabilization Program” said Janice Jensen, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity East Bay in regards to the NSP kickoff. “At Habitat, it takes a community to build a community. I hope all of you will join us as we volunteer our time and energy to rehab these Bay Point homes alongside our partner families.”

For the Hernandez family, a new Habitat partner family that will be purchasing a rehabilitated home, the journey to homeownership was a struggle until they found Habitat. As Nancy Hernandez stated, “We had a dream for our children to have a larger home where they could develop and now with Habitat for Humanity East Bay our dream can come true.”

Habitat’s NSP Program will undoubtedly assist neighborhoods that are experiencing the negative effects of the subprime mortgage crisis and the general economic downturn.  Over the next two years we plan to rehabilitate 8 homes in the Bay Point area, and 8-12 homes in the City of Hayward, then sell these homes to qualified low-income partner families.  

Read more about the program.