OUR MISSION
Providing a ladder from homelessness to homeownership and the safety net for home retention
Founded in 1986, Building Neighborhoods Together’s (BNT) mission is to end housing insecurity, income inequality and homelessness by creating safe, affordable housing, and providing comprehensive housing and financial counseling services to low- and moderate-income families across Connecticut.
Click here to listen to BNT’s CEO speak on housing as a human right.
OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
BNT is the most active nonprofit developer of affordable housing in Fairfield County and Southern Connecticut. Over the past 15 years, BNT has invested some $50 million in housing where vacant properties often existed. It has built over 230 units of safe, clean, and affordable housing, which house approximately 450 tenants in 23 buildings, 90% of whom are people of color and over 1/3rd of whom were previously homeless, or at risk of homelessness. Tenants include young mothers, seniors, veterans, and foster youth. The average tenant family income is just under $20,000, and less than 40% of them are on subsidized housing.
Housing Stats
- Provided housing to over 450 individuals and families
- Developed $50 million in properties
- 2/3rds of the 250 units developed are in 5 new buildings
Real Estate Development Achievements
- Celebrated ribbon cutting of West Liberty Commons 18-unit project June 28, 2021 (a $5 million investment)
- Completed the development of 107 units since 2015 (a $30 million investment)
- Manage a development pipeline of 50 rental and homeownership units
- Have developed some 250 units to date
HOUSING COUNSELING SERVICES – Empowerment Resource Academy (ERA) ~ Currently conducted mostly virtually.
BNT’s Empowerment Resource Academy (ERA) is the most active US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved and Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) certified housing counseling agency in Fairfield County and among the most active serving Connecticut statewide. Since 2015, ERA has served over 18,000 households, resulting in over 3,000 families achieving homeownership for the first time. In 2021, we served over over 5,900 households, and assisted 4,200 avoid eviction or foreclosure and helped 105 families obtain a mortgage and purchase their first home.
2021 ERA Service Statistics
- Provided housing counseling and education to 5,900 households in both English and Spanish
- Helped 4,200 families obtain up to $15,000 in rental assistance to avoid eviction
- Provided homeownership classes to over 500 families
- Helped 105 families obtain homeownership (generating $23 Million in mortgages)
ERA Programs and Services ~ All our CLASSES and COUNSELING sessions are free.
- Pre-Purchase Counseling and Education
- Mortgage Assistance through MyHomeCT
- Down Payment Assistance and Counseling and Education
- Foreclosure Prevention Counseling and Education
- Eviction Prevention Counseling
- Reverse Mortgage Counseling
- Financial Literacy Counseling and Education
- Credit Counseling and Coaching
- Budget Counseling and Coaching
- Fair Housing Discrimination Counseling and Education
- Rental and Mobility Counseling
- Benefits Access
- Resident Services
We had a very productive 2021, yet there’s even more to be done in 2022.