WOMAN, Inc receives its funding for its affordable housing construction through a number of different grant sources including the federal government, private foundations, and low-interest loans. Some of the past foundations that have supported WOMAN, Inc.’s work include the Swalm Foundation, the Rockwell Fund, the Houston Endowment, the Washington Mutual Foundation, the Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund, and the Simmons Foundation.
Supportive Services
WOMAN, Inc. is particularly proud of their supportive services. They believe that the best way to reach permanent housing is through self-sufficiency and they help residents work towards this goal through extensive support services available at their housing complexes. They believe having services at all of their locations is crucial to providing more comprehensive and successful results. At their sites there is case management counseling, child care assistance, rental and homebuyer assistance, parenting, job and life skills trainings, nutrition and medical intervention, transportation, homeless and youth services, IDAs, and advocacy. WOMAN, Inc. is able to provide these supportive services through a unique set of partnerships with local social service agencies. They would also like to implement legal services.
Individual Development Accounts
One program that has proven extremely successful for WOMAN, Inc.’s clients is their Individual Development Accounts (IDA) program. WOMAN, Inc requires
One of the 10 homes that make up Beacon Place.
Making families feel more at home is one of the goals of WOMAN, Inc. This placescape is at Destiny Village in Pasadena.
that all residents participate in this program in order to improve their financial status and reach a higher level of financial independence. When a resident leaves WOMAN, Inc.’s program they typically have approximately one to two thousand dollars in their account which they can use to pay for a down payment on a house, utilities, or other housing finances. This allows these individuals to become financially stable when they might not have otherwise been able. This program is run through the Covenant Community Capital Corporation, a local CDFI. Through the federal CDFI Fund from the U.S. Department of Treasury, this organization is able to match resident’s deposits on a 2:1 basis. This program has been particularly successful in helping women begin to save money again. Another resident of Beacon
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Building a Future