Housing is having its moment right now, Marietta Rodriguez, president & CEO of NeighborWorks® America, said at the opening of the Housing Assistance Conference’s National Rural Housing Conference this week. “It’s our responsibility as intermediaries to tell the story of rural.”

Affordability is a priority for most Americans when looking for a home, NeighborWorks® America confirmed in a new survey, “Bridging the Missing Middle.” But so are safety, walkability and access to essential services. People are open to missing middle housing if it makes housing more affordable.

NeighborWorks® America has decades of experience with down payment assistance (DPA): The national organization has studied and facilitated different ways of supporting the network in instituting such assistance, a lifeline for many homeowners.

Alpresteon “Sabrina” Billings wanted to see her Mississippi neighbors living safely and comfortably. And she figured out a way to make it happen. When the single-family rental community of Roberts Estates and League Cove, originally financed through Low Income Housing Tax Credits, became available to purchase once the tax credits expired, she worked with the tenants to purchase those homes. That was the original lease-purchase agreement, she explained, and that’s what she’d envisioned from the beginning. But some residents needed a little extra help to make it across the finish line. Billings, Chief Executive Officer of Gateway CommunityAlpresteon Billings smiles in front of a home with a garage. Development Corporation, was there to provide it.

Today we're excited to dive into a timely conversation about manufactured housing as a solution to the attainable housing crisis. Joining us are two leaders at the forefront of this innovative movement. Sarah Kackar, director of Rural Initiatives at NeighborWorks America, and Ramsey Cohen who supports housing solutions for nonprofits nationwide at Clayton.

Asian Community Development Corp., a Massachusetts nonprofit that creates and preserves affordable and vibrant neighborhoods in Chinatown and Greater Boston, celebrated becoming an official member of the NeighborWorks® America network last week. The event, held in conjunction with a groundbreaking for a new affordable apartment building with a ground-floor library – the first public library in Boston’s Chinatown since 1956 – marked the fifth and final new affiliate in the NeighborWorks network for 2025.