Your Monthly (we try) News & Updates | |
Some of the M&T Bank Volunteer Crew carefully paint a fence with their giant brushes and rollers | |
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While it may seem to some that HHQ's Block Blitz lasts for months or a whole year (did we just pick up a pile of brush last week?), our crazy idea of a fundraiser is all done until next time! Almost 70 properties in Syracuse's Elmwood-Creekside neighborhood got a little sprucing up on Friday, September 15, from 350 of our most favorite volunteers, contractors, students and neighborhood residents. Block Blitz is just one of the first sparks for this neighborhood on the move--watch for new single-family home construction, resident-driven neighborhood groups and much more.
You can see all of the companies and organizations that made the event possible and some of our favorite Block Blitz photos here: www.homehq.org/block-blitz along with a wee video below!
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Block Blitz Shout Outs & Explainers | |
Chedy Hampson helped this year's Block Blitz reach even more homeowners with his investment in Home HeadQuarters and the Elmwood-Creekside neighborhood. You can watch Chedy's comments in this video. | |
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Onondaga Earth Corps deserves all the flowers (and trees) for being a Block Blitz mainstay helping herd many of the students into brush and overgrowth removal and tree planting teams. We could not accomplish as much as we do without OEC's help and guidance. | |
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You hear about our volunteers and sponsors, but without the neighborhood residents, there wouldn't be a Block Blitz at all! Giant thanks to everyone who let volunteers do their best, who provided treats for the volunteers and staff and welcomed all the questions, traffic and noise to their wonderful neighborhood! | |
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Up to $50,000 to Help NYS Homeowners with Flooding & More Now Available in 50/50 Loan/Grant | |
Program Now Expanded to include Central New York | |
New York homeowners, now including those living in Central, Western and Upstate, can take advantage of the New York State Resilient Retrofits program to address flooding mitigation, energy improvements and other climate measures with a 50/50 loan/grant combination of up to $50,000.
Homeowners at risk of flooding must meet income eligibility (120% of HUD AMI), reside in the home as their primary residence and undertake at least one flood mitigation activity as part of the program. Homeowners who live in extreme risk areas, floodways or coastal erosion zones are not eligible to participate in this program.
The 1% loan in this program is matched by a grant, of up to $25,000, that is considered a deferred loan through the term of the loan and is secured with a mortgage.
For more information and an application, visit our website or contact us at info@homehq.org.
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Laiza Semidey Joins Home HeadQuarters Spearheading Organization's Inclusive
Workforce Investment Initiative
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Laiza Semidey recently joined Home HeadQuarters as Chief Community Investment Officer charged with leading the nonprofit organization's workforce development and new construction technologies initiatives. In this new position, Ms. Semidey will work to build local contractor capacity and increase the supply of a new, trained workforce that can meet the increasing demand for green technologies to combat climate change.
Ms. Semidey previously worked for CenterState CEO as the Syracuse Surge Workforce Manager where she developed the first Surge Coding Apprenticeship Program and expanded the TEch & Culture Network focused on access, mentorship and community for BIPOC tech professionals. She currently serves on the Upstate Minority Economic Alliance (UMEA), Blueprint 15, The Good Life Foundation and the Loretto Foundation's Board of Directors and served on the advisory council for the new MOST & Micron Technologies exhibition. Ms. Semidey was a 2022 CNY's 40 under 40 awardee.
A graduate of OCC with a degree television and studio production and a graduate of Binghamton University, with a degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology, Ms. Semidey initially planned to focus her energy in the television industry. She quickly determined that cultivating pathways for underrepresented communities and helping industry move into the new economy equitably, captured her true passion. Originally from Puerto Rico, Ms. Semidey currently lives in Syracuse with her nine-year old son.
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First-Time HomeOwner Purchase Assistance | |
Seeking a Lead Coalition Coordinator
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Home HeadQuarters is seeking a Lead Coalition Coordinator to ensure the successful implementation of the LeadSafe CNY Coalition’s strategic goals and objectives. The Coordinator will work closely with the LeadSafe CNY Coalition and its partners and stakeholders, which include a diverse group of community-based organizations, municipal and state governments, local philanthropic organizations, healthcare providers, affected community residents, lead remediation professionals and contractors, academia and others. The Coordinator will work to ensure that partners effectively coordinate and leverage their collective resources to ensure the Coalition is successful in reaching its goals to reduce childhood lead poisoning in Central New York.
Read more about the Lead Coalition Coordinator position here.
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Syracuse FEC: Counseling & Extra Support | |
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Jviona Hameed Baker ran into the Financial Empowerment Center’s Judi Kurtz at a recent outreach event. Baker was curious about what the FEC had to offer and signed up for a counseling session after hearing more. At the age of 20, she hadn’t had many opportunities to learn about financial literacy and welcomed the information.
Working with Judi, Jviona has since opened a new bank account, signed up for a credit card that made sense for her, and attended an investment summit at a local credit union – alongside Judi, who joined her for emotional support.
After completing nursing school, Jviona plans to purchase her first home and continue to practice good financial decision making, while attending more FEC sessions.
“Overall, I’ve really just had an amazing experience working with Judi and the FEC,” Jviona said. “I’ve learned many ‘do’s’ and ‘do nots’ that I never knew before and I am on track with my budgeting to achieve the goals I’d love to achieve.”
Make a free, professional financial counseling session today!
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The deadline for answering the RFQ for a Retail Business Operator for the property at 1551-1555 South Salina, Syracuse, 13205, has been extended to October 27, 2023.
You can find and download the RFQ here.
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Meet Craig Proietti who just joined our Opportunity Headquarters team this past month. Craig joins HHQ from the world of remodeling, maintenance and electrical specialty work which is a good thing because he says he likes to work with his hands. When he's not throwing together a new office, he likes to run the occasional Ironman Triathlon. | |
Super low 1% interest loans of up to $25,000 with a grant of up to $6,000 are available to eligible Onondaga County homeowners in need of emergency or exterior home repair. Examples of allowable repairs include roof replacement, sewage backup, furnace replacement, code violations, and more. Find and download an application here. | |
Getting Ahead of Lead in Buffalo & Erie County | |
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October 22-28, 2023, is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, and across the country you might see different campaigns to raise awareness for the fight against lead poisoning. The Buffalo and Erie County Lead Safe Task Force (LSTF) - coordinated by HHQ's Buffalo Office - recently launched the #GetAheadofLead campaign. Designed to reach local families, property owners, tenants and landlords, the effort features a centralized website, GetAheadofLead.org, with a database of available resources, multi-lingual materials for community and outreach events, and social media marketing intended to reach families at risk of lead poisoning.
Beyond the Get Ahead of Lead Campaign, the Buffalo and Erie County LSTF is working to develop a dedicated Lead Poisoning Prevention Court to supplement and support Buffalo’s existing Housing Court. This Lead Court would increase the capacity for the Buffalo Court system to hear code violations of deteriorated paint, hold property owners accountable for the remediation of lead, and ensure more property owners are taking advantage of the resources available to remediate lead.
How can you get involved with National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week?
The Buffalo and Erie County Lead Safe Task Force is launching a social media challenge to help bring more traffic to GetAheadofLead.org. We're asking individuals and organizations to snap a photo with something that says #GetAheadofLead and post why they care about getting ahead of lead. Make sure to tag #GetAheadofLead and @GetAheadofLead, so we can find your post! Please like, follow, and share our Get Ahead of Lead Facebook page, which will be full of friendly faces during National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week! Want some official #GetAheadofLead swag? Email us at info@homehq.org.
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A Little Block Blitz Before & After | | | | |
