Community Development

Esperanza has envisioned renewed neighborhoods and taken the steps to restore blighted areas to physical and economic vitality. We have accomplished this in our home city of Philadelphia by revitalizing neighborhoods and offering counseling services that help low-income homebuyers prepare for and navigate the real estate transaction.

We believe that enriching our community through revitalizing residential and commercial properties is aligned with our mission to serve. It not only helps our Hispanic brothers and sisters to realize their dreams, but also breathes economic stability into a neighborhood through elimination of blight and an infusion of new jobs.

Real Estate Development
An important step in revitalizing a community is to turn blighted properties into homes, businesses, schools, and parks—in essence, reinvest in the community because it is “home.” Esperanza took action in North Philadelphia, investing millions of dollars to transform areas with vacant lots, empty storefronts, old industrial sites, and abandoned houses into a vibrant commercial corridor with new and renovated homes. Several hundred construction and permanent jobs were created through this effort as well. 

Home Ownership
Since statistics and experience show that homeowners have better health, participate more in community and government and have children who perform better academically, we are committed to creating affordable homeownership opportunities for Hispanic individuals and families. Through our new construction ventures, property rehabilitation and sale, and mortgage counseling, we help lower income Hispanic families achieve the American Dream of homeownership.

 Past Programs
Our history of success in Community Development includes Hogares de Esperanza (Homes of Hope), a program that focused on home ownership for Hispanic people. Like so many of our other programs, this was a capacity-building initiative through which we trained other organizations on how to provide counseling to increase homeownership. Esperanza continues to provide information and guidance about home ownership to our Hispanic neighbors in Pennsylvania and across the nation. To learn more about other successful past programs, CLICK HERE. 

Resources
Esperanza has created useful resources that give insight about homeownership for the Hispanic public. To review these resources, click on a link below.

Housing Studies

Books