I’ve been a member of a CDFI for 25 yrs and would never go back to a traditional bank, due to the good works that I’ve seen done by CDFI’s. I was also a board member for a few years at one, so I know the inner workings and understand the community missions they take on. My children and I have had a stable home for the past 18 years, partly due to the credit building assistance we received from a CDFI.
Since 2008, CDFI Sustainable Neighborhoods has lent over $600 million to New York State homeowners at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure. Our lending programs have stabilized tens of thousands of households, thus preventing family displacement that leads to personal financial hardship and expenditures of substantial government funding needed to prevent or address homelessness across New York’s rural, suburban, and urban regions.
CDFIs are most proximate to communities needs and provide responsible, flexible capital solutions that support new business starts, job creation / retention, financial acumen building and skills development, and delivery of critical goods and services to opportunity rich communities.