Neighborhood Housing Partnership reaches out to more residents with new location

Neighborhood Housing Partnership of Greater Springfield is making its services even more accessible to a greater number of residents with a new satellite office located in Springfield's Southside.

The office, located at 629 S. Center Street and leased from the Church of Jesus Family Worship Center, has space for both one-on-one meetings as well as room for group meetings, says Greg Womacks, NHP’s executive director.

“There was a lot of interest in us having a presence in the southside,” Womacks says.

The office has no set hours but is available as needed when clients find it more convenient to meet there instead of at the nonprofit organization’s main office at 527 E. Home Road. NHP also has hosted classes and board meetings at the Center Street location.

“It’s already turned out to be a really good way to get our name out in the community,” he says.

Although NHP recently celebrated its 20^th year in Springfield, Womacks says a surprising number of residents don’t realize the type of help that the organization provides, such as home repairs, credit counseling, foreclosure assistance and coaching to purchase a first home. NHP began hosting events to explain who they are and what they do.

Suffragan Bishop Roseann Pratt of the Church of Jesus Family Worship Center attended one of the meetings and spoke to NHP about a vacant annex at the church. NHP began using the space last summer.

“You have a lot of people in need of their services, but they wouldn’t come to the northside or even know where they were,” Pratt says.

Reaching out to families and youth should be part of the mission of every church, she says, and the church and NHP have a common goal of serving the community and its people.

“We say that we are a church with the city in our hearts,” she says.

NHP is dedicated to supporting and strengthening neighborhoods by helping people become homeowners as well as helping to maintain, repair and budget for those homes. For example, almost 100 people graduated from its homeowner education programs in 2022, Womacks says, and the organization coordinated 25 major emergency home repairs for low- to moderate-income homeowners.

The Home Road location may have seemed inaccessible for some people, and NHP is now starting to see more people at its Southside office, Womacks says. With a second location as an option, he hopes more residents will turn to NHP and take advantage of what it offers.

“I wanted to make sure we were equally accessible to everyone, including the Southside of Springfield,” Womacks says.