May 9th, 2010 by Nieeta

Homebuyer education and counseling, known as the Home Stretch Program, is coordinated by the Minnesota Home Ownership Center and delivered by local, non-profit, community-based organizations. Home Stretch eight-hour workshops offer education about the home buying process and cover credit and budgeting; qualifying for a loan; special loan programs; shopping for a new home; home inspections; maintaining your home; and successful home ownership.

Classes sponsored by Model Cities, in partnership with Aurora/St. Anthony NDC, will be held at the Brownstone Building, 849 University Ave. in St. Paul from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the following Saturdays (participants attend two sessions):

May 15 and 22; June 5, 12, 19 and 26; July 10, 17, 24 and 31;  August 7, 14, 21 and 28; September 4, 11, 18 and 25; October 2, 9, 16 and 23; November 6 and 13; December 4 and 11.

For more information about Home Stretch classes, contact Brenda Bailey at Model Cities,  651-632-8350 or by email.

October 4th, 2009 by Nieeta

Members of the MCASA Board meet at ASANDC offices in St. Paul

MCASA, a partnership between Model Cities Community Development Corp. and Aurora St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corp., seeks to create affordable home ownership opportunities for low-income families and works with home ownership counselors to provide guidance and assistance to participants in moving toward homeownership. HomeStretch classes, which cost $25, will be held from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Brownstone Building, 849 University Ave. (directions/transit info), on the following dates:

• Oct. 17 – Part I, Oct. 24 – Part II
• Nov. 7 – Part I, Nov. 14 – Part II
• No classes in December

For more information, call Brenda Bailey at (651) 632-8350 or email her.

September 13th, 2009 by Nieeta

803 Sherburne Ave., one of the MCASA rehabbed homes available for purchase

MCASA Homes, a partnership between Model Cities Community Development Corp. and Aurora/St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corp., seeks to create affordable home ownership opportunities for low-income families. It does so by building and rehabbing homes and working with potential buyers to develop the financial skills necessary to be successful homeowners.

The MCASA and ASANDC partnership invests in the health of the Frogtown-Aurora/St. Anthony community. MCASA has constructed six single-family homes in the Summit-University neighborhood, and is rehabbing up to a dozen more in Summit-U and Frogtown. According to Nieeta Presley, Executive Director of Aurora/St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corp., “This is a long-term investment. We do not just throw people into homes. We connect families to the community, making sure that they are well educated and surrounded with resources.”

“System players didn’t think we could do it,” said Barbara Jeanetta, senior program officer of Twin Cities Local Initiatives Support Corporation. “Now, five years later, we see other banks scrambling to do the same with their own approach. However, they are still not willing to go the extra mile to continue giving families support once they enter the home.”

For MCASA, the “extra mile” takes the form of Home Stretch classes, which are designed to give the participants the tools they need for sustainable homeownership. This is what makes MCASA different.

For more info about MCASA Homes, check out the August/September edition of the ASANDC Newsletter or contact:

• MCASA Homes: Brenda Bailey, (651) 632-8345 | email
• ASANDC: Nieeta Presley, (651) 222-0399, ext. 101 | email

— By Ashanti Austin

April 8th, 2009 by admin

MCASA, a partnership between Model Cities Community Development Corp. and Aurora St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corp., seeks to create affordable home ownership opportunities for low-income families and works with home ownership counselors to provide guidance and assistance to participants in moving toward homeownership. HomeStretch classes, which cost $25, will be held from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Brownstone Building, 849 University Ave., on the following dates: April 18 and 25; May 2 and 9; May 16 and 23; June 20 and 27. For more information, call Brenda Bailey at (651) 632-8350 or email her.