The Los Angeles Post

Wells Fargo Donates $235,000 to Mississippi Nonprofits for Community Revitalization Efforts

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NeighborhoodLIFT® program awards local initiative grants to four organizations serving the Hattiesburg and Jackson communities

The Salvation Army of Hattiesburg has received $30,000 for the Center of Hope Shelter transitional housing program, which provides emergency shelter and support services to men, women and families, including a warm bed, hot meals, laundry, bathing facilities and other resources to help them get back into permanent housing.

JACKSON, Miss., June 6, 2019 – Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) today announced $235,000 in donations to four local nonprofits that will help revitalize Mississippi neighborhoods through the Wells Fargo NeighborhoodLIFT® program.

“Wells Fargo cares about our communities, and we are making these investments to continue to strengthen Mississippi,” said Chris Tracy, Wells Fargo Mississippi and Alabama Coast region bank president. “These nonprofits are actively leading programs to help stabilize housing, continue economic development efforts and promote health and wellness. We are hopeful these grants will make a big impact.”

NeighborhoodLIFT local initiative grants will be awarded to the following Hattiesburg and Jackson nonprofits:

  • D&E, A Housing & Economic Empowerment Center, Inc. will receive $30,000 to provide underserved adults with technical skills training combined with support services such as asset- and credit-building strategies, public benefits screening and employment coaching to develop skills needed for life and work. This includes a homebuyer workshop on mortgage readiness.
  • Midtown Partners, Inc. will receive $30,000 to complete the next phase of a development plan for its creative economy initiative that supports businesses located in The Hatch and The Hangar neighborhoods.
  • Mississippi Center for Medically Fragile Children will receive $145,000 to build the state’s first pediatric skilled nursing facility. Medically complex pediatric patients and their caregivers will have access to pediatric skilled nursing, rehabilitation and palliative care services in a homelike environment.
  • The Salvation Army of Hattiesburg will receive $30,000 for the Center of Hope Shelter transitional housing program, which provides emergency shelter and support services to men, women and families, including a warm bed, hot meals, laundry, bathing facilities and other resources to help them get back into permanent housing.

Nearly 100 homeowners created in Mississippi through LIFT programs

The Mississippi NeighborhoodLIFT program local initiative grants are part of a $2.75 million commitment by Wells Fargo to boost local homeownership and revitalize neighborhoods in all 82 Mississippi counties. The NeighborhoodLIFT program has assisted nearly 100 Mississippi homeowners by offering homebuyer education plus down payment assistance grants.

Approximately 30 more $7,500 down payment assistance grants are available to prospective Mississippi homebuyers. The 2018 Mississippi NeighborhoodLIFT program is a collaboration with NeighborWorks® America and its network member Hope Enterprise Corporation.

In the wake of the 2012 housing crisis, Wells Fargo came together with NeighborWorks America to develop the NeighborhoodLIFT program, which has been introduced in 70 communities across the country. As the single largest corporate philanthropic effort in Wells Fargo’s history with a $460 million investment, LIFT programs have created more than 21,100 homeowners by offering homebuyer education plus home down payments assistance grants. A video about the NeighborhoodLIFT program is posted on Wells Fargo Stories.

This follows Wells Fargo’s announcement, made earlier this week, of an evolution in the Company’s philanthropic strategy that includes a $1 billion commitment to address the housing affordability crisis, a $20 million challenge grant aimed at accelerating housing solutions nationwide, and an increased focus on financial health and small business growth.