Housing GSO: HRA Greensboro Affordable Housing Plan

NEIGHBORHOOD REINVESTMENT

IMPLEMENT COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS & ENGAGEMENT | Recommendation

Greensboro’s nonprofits that provide housing support and services are crucial stakeholders and partners in the reinvestment process. As is typical with small nonprofits across the country, many of these service providers in Greensboro struggle with capacity and ability to scale up the programs they run. The best way to build the capacity of nonprofits is to provide these organizations with a steady line of work. By equipping nonprofits with a sustainable business line, they will be able to hire additional staff and play a larger role in implementing public initiatives. As Greensboro seeks to strengthen its nonprofit housing delivery system, the City should work to focus resources around a specified number of rehabilitation and infill projects a year. This will ensure that these nonprofits have a reliable pipeline of projects upon which to scale up. The City of Greensboro can help strengthen the capacity of its nonprofits by supporting the existing Housing Hub model. The Greensboro Housing Hub is a joint office location that is home to six affordable housing nonprofits — Community Housing Solutions, Greensboro Housing Coalition, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro, Housing Consultants Group, and Partnership Homes — many of whom currently partner with the City to provide rehabilitation, development, and housing counseling services. The Hub was designed to be a “one -stop shop” for affordable housing services and to increase the collective capacity of each nonprofit, so they might serve more than their current combined total of 6,000 residents. The City of Greensboro has already demonstrated its commitment to the Housing Hub model by working with the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro to fund the renovation of the office complex. As part of its neighborhood reinvestment strategy, the City should continue to support the collaborative model of the Housing Hub, working with these nonprofit partners to establish annual plans for a sustainable level of business.

Nonprofit Capacity Building Approach

The City guarantees partner nonprofits a specified number of annual projects

Nonprofits hire additional staff and make capacity-building

investments based on guaranteed line of work

Scaled-up nonprofits carry out reinvestment services on behalf of the City

HR&A Advisors, Inc.

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