Step 1. INTAKE [Community Partners]
Eligible homeowners complete an online interest form during the Interest Period: June 19-July 10, 2023 (now closed).
Step 2. REVIEW PERIOD [Front Porch Investments]
Interest Forms will be compiled at the close of the Interest Period, July 10, 2023 at 11:59pm central. The Front Porch Investments team will review all Forms and assign scoring credentials based on the following prioritizations:
- Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (of ancestry, race, and or ethnicity who were harmed and impacted by redlining practices)
- Residential real estate is located within a census tract formerly marked Hazardous (red)
- Over the age of 59 years
- Lived in North or South Omaha (10 years +), in areas marked Hazardous (red)
Step 3. HOMEOWNER SELECTIONS [Front Porch Investments]
If FPI receives multiple interest forms with the same score, we will utilize a random number generator to select up to 40 homeowners. Non-eligible homeowners and those not randomly selected will be notified via email and in writing via USPS no later than July 28th, 2023.
Step 4. LOAN APPLICATION [Impact Development Fund]
When the loan application period opens, selected homeowners will complete the loan application form 1003 on the Impact Development Fund website. Loan Applicant will submit all necessary documentation for the purpose of underwriting.
Step 5. UNDERWRITING + LOAN CLOSING [Impact Development Fund]
After the underwriting process has concluded, Impact Development Fund will notify the applicant in writing of approval or denial. Approval letters shall include the amount of award, and terms of the loan.
Step 6. POST-CLOSE SUPPORT [Community Partners]
General Contractor chosen and work completed. Following completion of work, an Inspection and Quality Control Certificate will be issued.
To look up the address of a property, and determine if it is located in a formerly redlined area, use the lookup tool. Enter the address in the search bar. Green indicates areas formerly identified as "best", blue indicates areas formerly identified as "still desirable", yellow indicates areas formerly identified as "definitely declining" and red indicates areas formerly identified as "hazardous."
GREENLINING FUND HISTORY:
Front Porch Investment’s (FPI) Greenlining Fund: an opportunity to provide intentional reinvestment and direct resources to create or maintain homeownership in areas that have experienced historical disinvestment through redlining or other disadvantages. The Greenlining Fund was a recommendation in the Omaha and Council Bluffs Area Assessment of Housing Affordability, Needs, & Priorities report, funded in collaboration with nine other local foundations. Deeply rooted systems of racial bias, discrimination, and segregation have caused great inequity for Omahans. Because this fund targets specific geographic areas, heavily populated by historically excluded voices, FPI is prioritizing participatory grantmaking and program design.
DECISIONS:
The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) was founded in November of 2022 with 14 community members. While other programs exist across the country to offer home equity loans and property tax relief, the innovation of explicitly reinvesting in formerly redlined areas of a community, and also inviting members from that very community to share power and decision-making sets FPI’s Greenlining Fund apart. This intentionality and commitment to explicitly address past discriminatory housing policies can set precedent for future programming in cities across the country.
The initial Greenlining Fund pilot program is the home equity loan fund. Individuals will be qualified through a process established in partnership with the CAC. After the initial pilot program for home equity loans is completed, the CAC will evaluate the current program and make recommendations for changes or improvements to the program, as well as recommendations for future investments in the community based on applications received and feedback from applicants and community members.
IMPACT:
As home equity loans are repaid, the funds revolve permanently in Qualified Census Tracts in North and South Omaha. FPI partners with Impact Development Fund (IDF), a nonprofit CDFI with decades of experience in providing loans for affordable housing programs, to originate, monitor and service the loans as well as provide monthly reporting on all loan payments. Front Porch Investments will continue to pursue local and national funding opportunities to continue to support this community-led fund and address racial equity issues in homeownership through the Greenlining work.
Activities, research, data, and outcomes from this pilot will serve to support economic recovery for the area, providing needed information for the administrators of the program, future outreach and support initiatives, and potential advocacy for future policy changes.
