Union Home Mortgage Foundation Announces Third Quarter Grant Recipients

Awardees include 12 nonprofits in Arizona, Louisiana, Montana, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin

CLEVELAND , Oct. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Union Home Mortgage Foundation, the charitable arm of Union Home Mortgage whose mission is to equip families with the tools and resources needed to achieve economic self-sufficiency, has announced its grant recipients for the third quarter of 2024. The UHM Foundation awarded grants to 12 nonprofits from across the country totaling $77,500. 

In this round of funding, the Foundation provided support to organizations within its operational footprint that are making a tangible impact in their communities through the advancement of financial literacy and housing access.

"Union Home Mortgage is excited to support the critical work of nonprofit organizations making an impact in their communities across the country," said Bill Cosgrove, CEO of Union Home Mortgage. "This quarter, we have increased our footprint to include 3 additional states, and we're so excited to work with all 12 organizations to achieve their goals and build a brighter economic future for all."

"We're overjoyed to be working with the 12 organizations funded this quarter, whether they are new to the UHM Foundation or are long-tenured partners in our mission," said Ashley Ali, Director of Corporate Communications. "These 12 organizations, among the others we fund throughout the year, are embodying our mission to create economic self-sufficiency for as many families as possible."

Since its inception in 2015, the Foundation has distributed more than $2 million in financial support to nonprofits in over 17 states. For more information on the Union Home Mortgage Foundation, visit www.uhmfoundation.org, or email aali@uhm.com.

The third quarter grant recipients are:

Phoenix, Arizona

Homeless Youth Connection: $7,500 in support of the Host Family Program, which connects homeless youth with caring adults. The host family provides youth shelter, food, transportation, and emotional support, while HYC delivers case management, counseling assessments, and other services. HYC identifies and recruits host families who live in the same neighborhood as the youth's schools. This allows youth to remain in their current school, participate in extra-curricular activities, and continue socializing with their friends. The primary impact of placing youth in a home setting is to allow them to build stronger relationships and interpersonal skills, experience stability in their home life, and learn positive life skills to help them transition to independence.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Life of a Single Mom: $10,000 in support of Single Mom University (SMU), which is an online, life skills education portal, equipped with 175 courses in 3 core areas – Parenting, Finances, and Health & Wellness. These are the three core areas single mothers most often struggle with. The platform is self-paced and available 24/7, designed with the busy single mother in mind. This $10,000 contribution will provide 50 single mothers with access to the online education platform for up to one year.

Cleveland, Ohio

Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio: $7,500 toward financial literacy programming. The main financial literacy program at BGCNEO is Money Matters: Make it Count. This program aims to help teens learn how to set goals, budget, save and invest. It pairs teens with supportive Club mentors and volunteers to develop the financial skills that lead to workplace readiness and lifelong financial stability and success. In addition to Club staff and volunteer directed sessions, participants practice their financial decision-making skills through fun, engaging digital tools and games. Teens who complete Money Matters show improved financial management skills, including saving money and sticking to a budget.

The City Mission: $5,000 toward the New Horizons Transitional Housing program. Through the New Horizons Program, The City Mission equips single mothers with the necessary skills to secure and maintain employment, pursue vocational opportunities, develop healthy financial practices, and obtain and care for their own homes, helping to break the cycle of generational poverty. The on-site Transitional Housing program will provide single mothers with 18-24 months of additional time and support required to attain improvements in their overall finances, earning potential, and children's well-being before seeking stable housing. The goal for women in the Transitional Housing program is to become eligible for homeownership by securing an affordable mortgage through community partners.

Empowering and Strengthening Ohio's People (ESOP): $7,500 toward expanding homeownership and affordable housing opportunities. As a HUD-approved housing agency, ESOP's programs help residents find home stability and future prosperity. Programs include homebuyer and post-purchase education, educational workshops related to housing and financial literacy, aging in place initiatives, financial counseling, benefits enrollment, access to wraparound services, and digital literacy programming. Because income, transportation and physical mobility are real challenges for clients, ESOP's service model is a "one-stop-shop" for financial education, counseling, and resources that help people reduce debt, decrease monthly expenses, improve credit scores, develop good savings habits, retain and maintain their homes, and/or transition to different housing so they can achieve and sustain financial wellness and housing stability.

Columbus, Ohio

Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana: $10,000 toward improvements to the Veteran Resource Center (VRC) in the Collinwood Neighborhood of Cleveland, OH. The VRC serves as a hub for housing and supportive services for veterans in the Northeast Ohio region. This contribution will fund an updated main entrance, allowing increased veteran access and making the first moment that veterans step into the facility more accepting and inviting.

Garfield Heights, Ohio

Boys Hope Girls Hope: $10,000 toward financial literacy education from middle school through career launch. This programming ensures that the young people BHGH serves have the financial literacy skills they need to make well-informed responsible financial decisions both as youth and young adults, and throughout their lives. This includes programming for students 6-11th grade outside of school time, as well as monthly 1:1 meetings for 12th grade students as they prepare for life after graduation. This also includes workshops and coaching dedicated to financial fluency in areas like housing, car loans, school loans, and more.

Asheville, North Carolina

Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Western North Carolina (OnTrack): $2,500 toward Financial Capabilities Counseling & Education programming. OnTrack helps WNC residents build skills to increase income stability, achieve money goals, and attain financial resilience through inclusive short- and long-term counseling as well as education. Their Financial Capabilities Counseling & Education programming directly addresses financial challenges to its community members. Clients develop long-term financial capabilities by learning and practicing money management skills with guidance from compassionate counselors and educators. Counselors and educators work with clients to develop sustainable budgets that equip participants with a plan to address fixed, variable, and periodic expenses; increase access to savings accounts and encourage the prioritization of saving for emergencies; demystify credit and share methods to increase credit scores; and reduce unsustainable credit card debt.

Greenville, South Carolina

CommunityWorks: $2,500 in support of affordable housing and homeownership in South Carolina. CommunityWorks (CW) strives to help low-income communities build wealth through strategies focusing on affordable housing and homeownership. They provide financing for affordable housing developments, increasing the much-needed stock of affordable housing in South Carolina. CW supports developments that are safe and high-quality, with many of the same amenities as market-rate housing, while also serving households at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Additionally, they help families build wealth and equity by providing down payment and closing costs assistance to support their first home purchase. They partner with several municipalities and healthcare systems to provide this assistance to employees and residents, helping households overcome the financial barriers to homeownership.

Falls Church, Virginia

Homestretch Inc.: $10,000 toward credit counseling and financial management. The Homestretch Credit Counseling program provides intensive financial management to every adult enrolled in the Homestretch housing program. Homestretch provides in-depth wraparound services to help adults identify the obstacles they are facing that are preventing them from achieving stability and permanent housing. The program works with each adult to create a monthly budget, alleviate debt, acquire savings and understand the role financial management plays in their path toward self-sufficiency and permanent housing. Client taxes are prepared at Homestretch and refunds are used to pay off debt and put into savings accounts. Homestretch families often leave with savings accounts that allow them to purchase homes.

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Safe Harbor of Sheboygan County Inc.: $2,500 of flexible funding to address critical barriers to housing for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. This funding will go toward covering the costs associated with housing application fees, background checks, and security deposits, which are substantial obstacles for individuals fleeing unsafe situations.

About the Union Home Mortgage Foundation

The Union Home Mortgage Foundation was established in 2015 as the charitable arm of independent mortgage banking company Union Home Mortgage Corp (UHM). The Foundation's mission is to equip individuals and families with the tools and resources to achieve economic self-sufficiency, specifically through financial literacy, and housing. The Foundation has awarded over $2 million since its inception toward these programs to help guide families on a pathway towards responsible homeownership. Union Home Mortgage Corp. is a high-growth, full-service retail, wholesale, and consumer direct lender with over 200 branches across the U.S. To learn more about Union Home Mortgage and its efforts in the community, please visit www.uhm.com and www.uhmfoundation.org.

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SOURCE Union Home Mortgage