Nonprofit provides housing opportunities for underserved families

This article was written and originally published by WREG News Channel 3.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Every Tuesday, as part of our Greater Memphis on a Mission series, we highlight organizations making Memphis better. This week, we caught up with a group that believes in quality housing for all.

“There’s a huge gap for many families on getting access to credit and capital. One of the things we provide is that access,” said Amy Schaftlein, executive director of United Housing.

United Housing is a nonprofit organization that provides stable housing opportunities for families that are underserved by the homeownership market and the banking industry.  

“We do this through mortgage lending, home building, and also through education, which is really the flagship of our work,” Schaftlein said.

Part of that education is the home buyer education classes they offer monthly.

“The class covers everything from improving your credit, the importance of your credit, about savings and budgeting. Closing, working with a realtor. Working with a lender,” Schaftlein said.

Along with their first mortgage lending program.

“For low-income families who don’t have that credit score yet. Or, don’t have that relationship with a bank yet, so they work with our housing counselors and our staff,” Schaftlein said.

They also build starter homes in disinvested neighborhoods so home buyers have affordable options.

“I think it’s important that when the neighbors get involved and they say we want to see affordable housing. We want to have our kids be able to have an option to live here,” Schaftlein said.

And if you own an older home, they offer home repair loans to keep your house happy, healthy and safe.

“This is access to capital once you’re already a homeowner. You have to maintain that asset over time. The home repair loan is a low-interest loan, it’s 3 %, it’s up to ten years. It will help you fix the big-ticket items in your house, roof, HVAC, plumbing,” Schaftlein said.

Cheryl Henderson, a proud resident of Orange Mound and a manager for My Cup of Tea, bought her first home five years ago. She was able to utilize the home repair loan to do some updates.

“I was able to turn the old home into a new home, which included so many things. A new bathroom, a new kitchen, plumbing. Plumbing work because some of the plumbing up under the house was old, because the house is 70 years old,” Henderson said.

Since it was a low-interest loan, Henderson was able to get everything done at once and fit it in her budget.

“It made it even more rewarding because I’m able to pay it back in a way that is comfortable for me,” Henderson said.

That is why Brown Missionary Baptist Church and the Mid-South Genesis CDC donated $1,000 to United Housing, because providing quality affordable housing options will always strengthen a neighborhood’s legacy.