Model and Strategy
Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services (RNHS) works to overcome homelessness and the displacement of low-income residents in the East Bay, and provide the tools for low-income households and people of color to achieve financial equity. We do this work in several ways:
- Scatter Site Property Management: RNHS owns a portfolio of single- and multi-family homes deemed affordable for low- to very low-income residents. We are one of the few East Bay landlords renting to Section 8 tenants.
- Acquisition, Rehab, and Development of Land: RNHS partners with financial institutions and local government to acquire property and land, guaranteeing its affordability for both renters and first-time home buyers.
- Financial Education: RNHS is a HUD-approved counseling agency providing critical knowledge to first-time homebuyers to shop for an affordable home, access government-sponsored financing, get the right mortgage product, and avoid foreclosure. We also counsel owners facing mortgage delinquency and needing default resolution.
- Keys to Equity: Focused on Black homeowners, the Keys to Equity program provides design, permitting, construction, and financing services to Oakland homeowners that would like to build an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) on their property.
- Emerging Developers Program (EDP): Launched in 2021, EDP provides industry professionals with the knowledge and technical skills to develop infill units and single-family homes. Designed to provide access to Black-led firms, the program welcomes all applicants.
- Rapid Response Fund: RNHS created a rapid response fund in 2020 for families impacted by COVID, which we continue to expand in 2022.
RNHS is now raising funds to launch two new initiatives. The first is a rental assistance program that will support families recently unhoused and/or in housing transition by providing landlords with the required security deposits to secure a rental unit. The second is a program that will provide re-housing funds to families living in social (public) housing who face an immediate health or safety situation.
Impact
Every element of RNHS’s work supports our mission of promoting investment in and revitalization of under-resourced communities in the East Bay, and helping low-income households and people of color achieve financial equity.
By promoting first-time homeownership and giving people the skills and knowledge they need to successfully navigate the Bay Area’s housing market, we help people acquire one of the best generational wealth-building assets there is: a home. By acquiring and managing affordable single- and multi-family homes, and providing rental assistance, we keep housing permanently affordable for more low- and moderate-income people, and enable them to maintain housing stability while staying in their neighborhoods and communities By assisting Black- and other BIPOC-led firms to break into the real estate development field, we expand economic opportunity for local entrepreneurs of color, who in turn reinvest in our communities through job creation. And by advocating for laws and policies that facilitate affordable housing development, we help increase the number of homes available to LMI families, especially in prohibitively high-cost housing markets experiencing gentrification.
Leadership
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Nikki Beasley
Executive Director