Loans: Housing and Shelter

Sierra House, a community-centered nonprofit in East Orange, New Jersey, is committed to improving the prospects of individual achievement for youth, low to moderate income families, and homeless young adults through housing, education, and community services. Their CEO, Keely Freeman, is deeply connected to the community, having grown up in Newark. Driven by Keely’s commitment to improving community wealth and well-being, Sierra House is purchasing land and newly developed properties, and renovating existing homes in the Greater Newark Area, to create quality, affordable housing for New Jersey residents. This housing is transformative for residents who might not otherwise be able to afford homes in their neighborhoods due to New Jersey’s high cost of living and high property prices.

NFF’s $300,000 loan will provide essential gap financing for the construction of a 4,000-square-foot, two-family residential home designed for low- to moderate-income residents in East Orange, New Jersey. NFF is a valued community partner that has greatly supported Sierra House in advancing its mission to expand affordable. Through this partnership, NFF has provided financing that enabled Sierra House to build seven affordable housing units, including five units in East Orange, NJ and two units in Maplewood, NJ. With this financing, Sierra House can continue its mission of keeping housing affordable and promoting homeownership within the Greater Newark community.

Anthos|Home collaborates with government partners, nonprofits, and landlords to increase the number of housing units available, match tenants and landlords, streamline the apartment search, handle voucher paperwork, process applications and rental agreements, and assist in the move-in process. After settling into their new home, Anthos|Home provides ongoing housing stability services and matches tenants to a wide range of community services to support their success, including education, employment, and wellness. With this approach, Anthos|Home increases housing retention rates by improving the efficiency and accessibility of the New York City housing voucher system. Anthos|Home is dedicated to shortening the voucher processing timeline to two months, from the time it starts working with a housing voucher until move-in. The organization is expanding its efforts and aims to place 1,000 people annually in permanent homes by fiscal year 2027. 

Supported by the Hilton Foundation, a $1 million zero-interest loan from NFF will provide financial capacity to cover ongoing organizational costs in the event of unexpected delays in payments from funders. With this investment, Anthos|Home will be able to focus on its essential work of connecting even more clients to housing.  

Abode Communities (Abode) is one of Southern California’s oldest and largest nonprofit affordable housing providers – since 1968, the organization has been working to address the disparity between income and housing affordability throughout California by creating supportive housing and providing social services to ensure that families, older adults, and unhoused individuals have the support needed as they work toward self-sufficiency and upward mobility. Abode owns and operates 35 affordable residential communities – including supportive housing properties – and they serve over 8,000 clients annually.

In conjunction with Program Related Investment and below-market loans from the California Community Foundation and the Weingart Foundation, NFF provided a $2 million loan to Abode Communities in May 2019 for flexible pre-development financing to support their development pipeline. NFF’s loan was made possible by Bank of America, which connected community-based organizations like Abode Communities, a 2016 Bank of America Neighborhood Builder®, to low-cost capital that would further sustainable growth. With a three-year extension of their existing $2 million loan with NFF, Abode can keep funding multiple projects to further their mission of advancing affordable housing across California. The organization’s current development pipeline includes nearly 1,700 units for about 5,100 individuals in need.

Sierra House, a community-centered nonprofit in Newark, New Jersey, fosters independence for youth, low-to-moderate income families, and unhoused young adults in the Newark area through housing, education, and community services. Their CEO, Keely Freeman, grew up in Newark and is deeply connected to the community. Sierra House is purchasing land and newly developed properties, and renovating existing homes in the Greater Newark Area to make them available as quality affordable housing for Essex County residents who might not otherwise be able to afford housing in their neighborhoods.

This $150,000 loan from NFF reimbursed Sierra House for the soft costs associated with the construction of a two-family affordable housing property, including architectural renderings, environmental studies, as well as legal, accounting, and consultant costs. Learn more about Sierra House’s vital work to preserve and expand affordable housing across New Jersey.

Harbor Care Foundation (HCF) is a nonprofit service provider for individuals in LA County experiencing homelessness post-hospitalization, also known as recuperative care. HCF helps patients heal, obtain benefits, and find permanent housing in a safe and nurturing residential care environment. With its 30-bed recuperative care facility in Mission Hills, CA, the organization serves over 300 clients annually by providing a place for them to stay and connecting them to vital services like case management and medical services. 

Many nonprofits receive government funding to provide their services but are paid after services are provided – and those payments are frequently delayed. Supported by Cedars-Sinai and the Hilton Foundation, this zero-interest bridge loan will help HCF expand its services to a new 23-bed facility in Lancaster, CA while waiting for late reimbursements from its CalAIM Community Supports contracts. CalAIM promises to make recuperative care more accessible, but as it represents a significant change for both health plans and recuperative care providers like HCF, payments to providers are often delayed. This financing will help HCF reach even more people across LA County in need during a critical time of transition. 

Horizon Recuperative Care (Horizon) is a for-profit service provider that offers recuperative care for individuals in LA County experiencing homelessness post-hospitalization. Through behavioral health programs, housing assistance, case management, and more, Horizon has facilitated the transition to permanent housing for over 600 individuals annually, effectively breaking the cycle of homelessness for many in LA County. 

Many organizations receive government funding to provide their services but are paid after services are provided – and those payments are frequently delayed. Supported by Cedars Sinai and the Hilton Foundation, this zero-interest bridge loan will help Horizon expand its services to a new 78-bed facility in East Los Angeles, CA while waiting for late reimbursements from its CalAIM Community Supports contracts. CalAIM promises to make recuperative care more accessible, but as it represents a significant change for both health plans and recuperative care providers like Horizon, payments to providers are often delayed. This financing will help Horizon reach even more people across LA County in need during a critical time of transition. 

Hanini Group invests in urban communities by focusing on conscious design, sustainable construction, and equitable urban revitalization. The organization was co-founded by Samer and Thafer Hanini, first-generation Jordanian Americans who were born and raised in Jersey City and Newark, New Jersey. For the past 19 years, Hanini Group has restored historic buildings across Newark and New Jersey, offering development, construction, architectural design, and property management services.

A full-service real estate management firm based in Philadelphia, SHIFT connects developers of color with capital and resources to build quality affordable housing – from investment management to property management. SHIFT currently serves seven neighborhoods, 29 Black, Indigenous, and people of color-owned small businesses, and 29 woman-owned small businesses through their spaces and programs.

Hanini Group and SHIFT formed 10 Commerce Newark LLC to complete the conversion of a 12-story, 126,088 square-foot vacant office building located at 10 Commerce Court, a highly desirable location in the heart of the downtown Newark business district into a mixed-use, mixed-income development. NFF’s loan participation will help finance the construction of 110 housing units – 20% of which are affordable housing – and two commercial units with easy access to Newark Penn Station, where NJ Transit, Amtrak, and PATH trains to New York City can be accessed. With this development, Newark residents will have more affordable housing options and better access to transit and employment opportunities.

Better Housing Coalition (BHC) is Richmond, Virginia's largest non-profit community development corporation. Through affordable housing, they improve lives and transform communities. Each year, BHC supports nearly 1,100 Richmond residents by helping them find homes, supporting them with down payments, and offering dedicated programs for families and older adults.

NFF's loan participation will help finance BHC's Horner Apartment Project — a three-acre housing development with 49 affordable housing units. The development incorporates thoughtfully designed elements such as community open spaces and a loop walking trail for residents to enjoy. Safe and affordable housing is a human right; this development will restore that right to dozens of Richmond residents.

Established in 2017, HOLA Recuperative Care (HOLA) is a for-profit service provider for individuals in LA County facing homelessness post-hospitalization. HOLA plays a crucial role in supporting clients through their healing process by assisting them in securing benefits and facilitating the transition to permanent housing during a particularly vulnerable period. With a goal of minimizing hospital readmission rates, HOLA focuses on securing stable housing for clients post-hospitalization. Each year, HOLA serves 900 people in LA County who are experiencing homelessness.

Many nonprofits receive government funding to provide their services but are paid after services are provided – and those payments are frequently delayed. Supported by Cedars Sinai and the Hilton Foundation, this zero-interest bridge loan will help HOLA cover ongoing organizational and programmatic costs while waiting for late reimbursements from its CalAIM Community Supports contracts. CalAIM promises to make recuperative care more accessible, but as it represents a significant change for both health plans and recuperative care providers like HOLA, payments to providers are often delayed. This financing will help HOLA keep offering its services to people in need during a critical time of transition.

Testimonial Community Love Center (TCLC) started in 1984 working with families and individuals experiencing homelessness in the greater South-Central Los Angeles area. Since then, LA has seen the rate of homelessness increase due to a combination of factors, such as the lack of affordable housing, adding new urgency to TCLC's work. TCLC have and continue to provide emergency shelter, transitional housing, nutritious meals, and other vital social services and referrals to over 350 people. Their programs are designed with the goal that the individuals and families that pass through their doors can resume – or begin – safe, dignified, sustainable, and independent living.

Supported by the Hilton Foundation, this zero-interest loan will help TCLC have enough cash on hand to pay their staff, keep their doors open, and offer their essential programs. With support from this financing, TCLC can continue offering its vital services to address homelessness in South-Central LA.

NoHo Home Alliance uses a unique Relational Homeless Outreach Model to provide programs and services that support unhoused individuals and families. NoHo Home Alliance builds relationships with their clients and meets them where they are with necessary support that helps cultivate lives of dignity. Over the last year alone, NoHo Home Alliance worked with over 1,350 individuals through their many programs and services including offering meals, providing comfortable showers, setting up charging stations, and providing housing referrals.

Supported by the Hilton Foundation, this zero-interest loan will help NoHo Home Alliance cover ongoing organizational and programmatic costs while waiting for significantly delayed government contract payments. With this financing, NoHo Home Alliance will be able to keep their team fully staffed to continue their crucial work in building a healthy and housed community in the East San Fernando Valley.

Holos Communities (formerly Clifford Beers Housing, Inc.) builds spaces through a holistic lens as it works to end houselessness, combat climate change, and reverse racial inequity across southern California. They operate over 500 apartments, with 249 under development, and these spaces provide homes, services, and jobs to individuals, families, and businesses while helping to strengthen neighborhoods and local economies. Holos Communities intentionally designs their properties to be sustainable by maintaining net zero operations, using less concrete, installing fully electric systems, installing solar panels, recycling grey water, planting trees and creating green spaces, and building near high frequency public transit systems.

Supported by the Hilton Foundation, this loan will provide Holos Communities with the working capital it needs to continue the development of ongoing projects, including completing the construction of Isla Intersections, a 54-unit housing complex in South LA long delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. When complete in late 2023, this community will maintain 53 permanent supportive housing units, including 10 dedicated for veterans.

Colorado Village Collaborative (CVC) partners with people experiencing homelessness to create and operate innovative solutions to homelessness: housing that centers on human dignity and design solutions that are affordable, sustainable, and community oriented. Since its founding in 2017, CVC has served over 400 people, operating 46 tiny homes and safe, secure, staffed outdoor spaces equipped with 150 tents for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. In a world where desensitization to homelessness is often normalized, CVC has focused on offering creative pathways for people to have stable housing.

Financed through the Metro Denver Nonprofit Loan Fund, this zero-interest loan will help CVC cover organizational and programmatic costs while awaiting reimbursement from various grant programs. With this financing, CVC can continue to build affordable, community-centric, and environmentally friendly housing solutions without interruption as it waits to be reimbursed for its crucial work.

Churches United for Fair Housing (CUFFH) uses community organizing, youth engagement, and social services to create inclusive communities in North Brooklyn. CUFFH believes that housing is a human right, that housing justice is racial justice, and that all New Yorkers regardless of their income level, race or immigration status deserve to live in a home that is safe, affordable, and permanent. CUFFH partners with churches, nonprofits, schools, and activist groups to reach thousands of community members across New York City – and they serve over 6,000 families annually through weekly workshops, youth organizing, social services, job training, legal support, and more.

Until now, CUFFH has not had a sufficiently large permanent home from which they can run and expand their programs and house their operations. However, CUFFH identified a building that it can use to operate its full array of programs early last year, and they are now ready to submit their deposit. New York State has committed to allocating grant funding to CUFFH to purchase the building, but the organization would like to purchase the building before that grant funding will become available. In the meantime, NFF’s bridge loan will help the organization pay the deposit to the seller of the contract while it continues to perform due diligence of the site and building. This brings them one step closer to acquiring a permanent home for their work to build thriving North Brooklyn communities.

Founded by Los Angeles residents and affordable housing advocates in 2019, Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre Land Trust (FCTL) purchases vacant land and properties to place into community control. By bringing neighbors together through workshops and convenings, FCTL also builds collective voice and power. As they secure affordable housing opportunities, FCTL increases access to stable housing for low-income residents in Los Angeles’ rapidly gentrifying East Side.

Founded in 1979 by Japanese American activists, Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) provides social services and community development services in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo Historic District and neighboring Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. LTSC serves about 10,000 clients in Southern California annually through counseling, case management, senior services, and more – with many of their clients identifying as low-income.

In December 2020, FCTL entered a partnership with LTSC to create 700 Simmons LLC – and together, they acquired an 11-unit apartment building. In the Los Angeles housing market, there are simply not enough resources to support community land trusts that work tirelessly to secure affordable housing. This loan will address a funding gap exacerbated by rising property costs and operating expenses. Financed through NFF’s CARE Fund, which offers 0% interest loans to community-centered nonprofits led by people of color, this loan will supply some of the funding needed for repairs and renovations to the building. With support from this loan, 700 Simmons LLC will be able to improve the lives of tenants by providing a better quality of living while keeping units affordable so that the tenants can remain in their community.

The Center at Blessed Sacrament (The Center)'s mission is to be an organization devoted to healing and centered on individual wellness and community, to advocate for those in Hollywood without shelter, and to develop and implement solutions that lead to resilience and housing. Its housing programs alone serve more than 400 people each year; count its wellness and outreach programs, and that number swells to 2,000 people. From rapid and recovery housing to art classes to community "coffee hours” with people living on the street, The Center's programs build community in Hollywood for housed and unhoused people alike.

The Center depends on contracts with government agencies for a large portion of its funding. However, agencies typically pay those contracts after nonprofits conduct their programs, not in advance. In addition, the Center's primary funders have delayed paying their contracts due in part to COVID-19 and in part to internal transitions at those agencies. Bridge financing like this loan fills these gaps by ensuring that organizations like The Center have enough cash on hand to pay their staff, keep the lights on, and offer their essential programs. With support from this financing, The Center can continue offering hundreds of homeless Angelenos the housing and wraparound services they depend on to achieve their aspirations.

The mission of New York State Tenants and Neighbors (Tenants & Neighbors) is to organize a unified coalition of tenant organizations that educates tenants, builds community support, and strengthens tenant rights across New York State. With gentrification rapidly displacing residents in low- and moderate-income communities across the nation, the need for grassroots tenant organizing grows more important every day. By providing education and leadership development sessions, Tenants & Neighbors equips tenants with the resources necessary to advocate for affordable housing. Throughout its nearly 50-year history, Tenants & Neighbors has worked to ensure that its clients have access to the support they need to thrive. In 2021, Tenants & Neighbors served nearly 2,000 clients, 97% of whom qualified as low-income.

Tenants & Neighbors depends on contracts with government agencies for a portion of its funding. Government payments to nonprofits are often delayed; however, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these delays. Supported by the Trinity Church Wall Street Grantee Loan Fund, this loan will make sure that Tenants & Neighbors has consistent access to working capital for its essential programs while it waits for that funding to arrive. Smoothing over this cash flow issue will help the organization maintain and grow programs that help tenants build economically just neighborhoods and futures.

Since 2017, Sustainable Futures Project has operated shelters that provide safe housing for dozens of unhoused families in South Los Angeles. When they don’t have stable shelter, families experience barriers to accessing other critical supports like employment, mental health care, and legal services. Together with close partner Special Services for Groups, Sustainable Futures Project helps families overcome these barriers and move from survival to stability.

Sustainable Futures Project is looking to operate more wraparound services and plans to open childcare and Office of Diversion and Reentry (ODR) programs. This loan will provide Sustainable Futures Project with some of the cash they need to rent and redesign facilities and hire staff to run these programs. At the same time, Sustainable Futures Project is working with NFF consultants to budget for these new programs – and track their actual spending against their planned budget. As they grow, Sustainable Futures Project will be able to provide more comprehensive services to families who wouldn’t otherwise have stable places to live.

PATH Ventures is a permanent supportive housing (PSH) provider that specializes in the development of housing for formerly homeless individuals and families. Their mission is to end homelessness for individuals, families and communities by building and operating affordable rental homes paired with on-site services that support residents in regaining long-term stability, independence, and health. They currently operate 16 PSH properties with 985 units of housing – including California’s first ever development through Project Homekey, a state-funded effort to convert unused hotel space into PSH.

Affordable and permanent supportive housing developers like PATH Ventures often struggle to access the flexible capital they need to develop housing at the scale required to curb the United States’ homelessness and housing affordability crises. NFF’s Accelerating Permanent Supportive Housing Fund responds to this by providing $10 million in unrestricted capital for nonprofit developers in the Los Angeles area – developers like PATH Ventures. Offered through this fund, this loan provides flexible capital that PATH Ventures can use to support the LA area projects in pipeline – projects that will house more than 1,000 people in a region where affordable housing remains in short supply. Stable, secure places to live will help these people overcome their immediate challenges and work towards achieving their long-term goals.

Since 1971, Bayview Hunters Point Foundation (BHPF) has offered affordable housing, employment assistance, healthcare, and educational programming to people experiencing homelessness in the San Francisco neighborhood of Bayview. The organization provides a continuum of homeless services ranging from outreach to case management to permanent housing support. Their goal is to help people access the support they need to transition from homelessness to permanent housing and to achieve their aspirations: medical treatment, rehabilitation, stable, supportive housing, benefits, and employment.

The organization has experienced increased demand for its services since the onset of COVID-19: it served approximately 12,000 people last year and is preparing for continued growth. BHPF relies on contracts with the City and County of San Francisco for much of its revenue. However, these contracts are paid after BHPF offers services instead of before, creating cash flow challenges for the organization that only increased with rising demand. Offered through NFF's zero-interest CARE Fund, this loan will bridge those delayed payments, helping the organization focus on stability while allowing it to scale its programs to more people who need them. As the organization grows, it will help thousands more people move from homelessness to stable housing and support their long-term goals.

Impact Services’ mission is to empower people in need to attain the hope, motivation, and skills necessary to reach their fullest human potential and highest level of personal and family self-sufficiency. The Philadelphia neighborhoods where Impact Services works have been highly impacted by the overlapping traumas of multi-generational poverty, opioid addiction and the heroin trade, and a high level of violence. In response to these issues, Impact Services offers employment assistance, reclaims abandoned industrial spaces, develops affordable housing, and works to stabilize the lives of individuals and families. The organization's specific programs include workforce and community development programming for a range of low-income and disenfranchised populations, a loan fund that supports local businesses, and community engagement efforts that organize neighborhood events, clean-ups, and more.

NFF’s loan will support a phased redevelopment of Impact Services’ historic campus, which will be financed with a mix of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, Historic Tax Credits, New Markets Tax Credits, grants, and loans. The resulting campus will include an existing 57-bed shelter for veterans who are experiencing homelessness, a multi-purpose community gym facility, 47 units of affordable housing, program space for Impact Services, and several floors of commercial space for office or community purposes. With this redevelopment, Impact Services will be able to expand its programs to even more Philadelphia residents, giving many people the support they need to overcome obstacles and achieve their aspirations.

The mission of The WIN Project is to reinvest in neighborhoods by providing families with access to decent, safe, and affordable housing. Since 1999, The WIN Project has built strong partnerships, particularly with the City of Compton, and has developed more than 20 projects of low-income or affordable housing, securing low-cost homes for the individuals and families most likely to be affected by rising housing prices in the Los Angeles area. Financed by NFF’s zero-interest CARE Fund, this loan will support predevelopment costs – such as architecture, engineering, and pre-construction management services – for a new affordable housing development in Compton, California. This development will offer five Compton families places to live in an area where low-cost housing is desperately needed.

The mission of Bowery Residents’ Committee (BRC) is to restore hope and dignity by offering opportunities for health and self-sufficiency to vulnerable New Yorkers. BRC serves more than 10,000 individuals each year through dozens of programs spanning outreach to unsheltered New Yorkers experiencing homelessness, transitional housing and shelter, permanent housing, substance abuse treatment, mental and physical health services, workforce development, and senior services. NFF’s loan will facilitate BRC's development of a 120-bed shelter in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan that will support unhoused men with mental illnesses through a person-centered, clinically sound model. This new residence will provide safe, emergency shelter and assist clients as they transition into more independent, permanent housing.

Partners: Citi Community Capital, Leviticus Fund

Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services (RNHS) provides affordable rental housing and services to support first-time homebuyers, focusing on low-income Black women in and around Richmond and Oakland, CA. Founded by a dedicated group of residents who believe that affordable housing shouldn’t stop at renting, RNHS has worked to reverse systemic segregation, redlining, disinvestment, and blight. In partnership with local residents, businesses, financial institutions, and government agencies, RNHS offers low-income households and people of color the tools they need to achieve financial equity.

RNHS has received a federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in support of its efforts to develop and rehabilitate affordable homes across the East Bay. However, without access to debt, the organization would need to divert money from their development pipeline to maintaining their existing properties, slowing the rate at which they could build or rehab new ones. Financed through NFF’s CARE Fund, which offers 0% interest loans to community-centered nonprofits led by people of color, this loan will ensure that RNHS has sufficient cash flow to both continue its existing services and develop new affordable homes for Bay Area families.