The Neighbor Project (TNP) is a nonprofit, HUD-Certified Housing Counseling Agency dedicated to helping low to moderate income families reduce debt, build credit, save and ultimately buy their first homes.
Our name is derived from two sources:
- A belief in the importance of investing in our neighbors—because many of our neighbors have an untapped ability to revitalize & strengthen our Community.
2. The Parable of the Good Samaritan, which defines a neighbor as one who takes the time to help a person in need get back on their feet.
We help people escape debt, save money and purchase homes – so they can be full participants in their communities.
Our Mission is “Activating the potential of working families to revitalize their neighborhoods through savings, education and homeownership.”
Our Vision is to see “Healthy, strong and stable neighborhoods brought about by positioning working families to be the primary drivers of community growth.”
We do this by operating a housing social enterprise that offers a pathway to financial opportunity through a savings model that leverages the earned income of working families bundled with existing community resources and wrap-around services in the areas of:
- Financial Capability: Financial Education, Budget Counseling, Credit Counseling
- Home-ownership/Asset Creation: Homeownership Counseling and Real Estate Development (Preserving, Rehabbing & Investing in Housing)
- Savings: Networked Savings Program and Individual Development Accounts (2019)
- Help for Homeowners: Foreclosure Prevention programs including funding to come current on one’s mortgage or modify a loan that is underwater—and access to funding for low-to-moderate income homeowners to make important repairs to maintain their homes
Merger of Joseph Corporation and Emmanuel House
On April 1, 2018, Joseph Corporation and Emmanuel House legally merged, becoming “The Neighbor Project”. From the founding of Joseph Corporation by the Sisters of Mercy in 1990, to Emmanuel House starting its home-ownership program in honor of Bryan Emmanuel Guzman following his tragic passing in 2006, to being named one of the 100 most innovative non-profits or social enterprises in the world in 2016, the two organizations have had proud histories of serving Aurora.
At the core of the values driving The Neighbor Project is the belief that every person has a God-given ability to contribute—to be an important part of building a stronger and better community. We’re all in this together, and that idea of shared destiny is foundational to our approach and central to our identity. It’s not always “poverty” that holds our cities back; it’s participation. A disproportionate number of our neighbors have income, but not stability. We earn a living – but without assets like a home or savings account, we’re not financially secure enough to invest in the city where we live. So we keep paying debt instead of supporting local business. We keep relocating when we could be renovating. The people who could make the biggest difference here are not free to contribute here. Change that, and you change the city.
So that’s the mission of The Neighbor Project. We help people escape debt, save money and purchase homes – so they can be full participants in their communities. We’re helping our neighbors prosper, so our neighborhoods can prosper too. We’re reclaiming the city’s greatest asset: The people who already live here. Because the only way forward is together.
