Dozens of national, regional, and community organizations—representing millions of Americans—recognize the need to restore downpayment assistance (DPA) and have officially offered their support for the campaign.

Members of Congress

H.R. 600 Sponsor: Rep Green, Al [TX-9] (introduced 1/16/2009)
Cosponors:
Rep Bishop, Sanford D., Jr. [GA-2] - 2/9/2009
Rep Capuano, Michael E. [MA-8] - 4/28/2009
Rep Clarke, Yvette D. [NY-11] - 2/25/2009
Rep Connolly, Gerald E. "Gerry" [VA-11] - 2/25/2009
Rep Costa, Jim [CA-20] - 2/9/2009
Rep Gordon, Bart [TN-6] - 2/9/2009
Rep Johnson, Eddie Bernice [TX-30] - 2/9/2009
Rep Johnson, Henry C. "Hank," Jr. [GA-4] - 2/9/2009
Rep Lee, Barbara [CA-9] - 2/25/2009
Rep Miller, Gary G. [CA-42] - 1/16/2009
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9] - 3/23/2009
Rep Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" [VA-3] - 3/23/2009
Rep Sires, Albio [NJ-13] - 2/9/2009
Rep Thompson, Bennie G. [MS-2] - 2/25/2009
Rep Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [FL-20] - 2/9/2009
Rep Waters, Maxine [CA-35] - 1/16/2009
Rep Wexler, Robert [FL-19] - 2/9/2009
Rep Wilson, Charles A. [OH-6] - 2/9/2009

National Association of Neighborhoods

The National Association of Neighborhoods (NAN) is one of America's largest and oldest grassroots multi-issue membership organizations. NAN's mission is to improve the quality of life in the nation's most important communities - its neighborhoods.

National Community Development Association

NCDA Letter

National Community Development Association (NCDA) is a national nonprofit organization comprised of more than 550 local governments across the country that administer federally-supported community and economic development, housing and human service programs, including programs of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and the HOME Investment Partnerships programs. Since 1968, NCDA has been at the forefront in securing effective and responsive housing and community development programs for local governments.

National Association of Counties

The National Association of Counties (NACo) is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo provides essential services to the nation’s 3,066 counties. NACo advances issues with a unified voice before the federal government, improves the public's understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research, and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money.

NACo's membership totals more than 2,000 counties, representing over 80 percent of the nation's population.

U.S. Conference of Mayors

USCM Statement 2/25/09

The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,139 such cities in the country today. Each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor.

The primary roles of The U.S. Conference of Mayors are to: promote the development of effective national urban/suburban policy; strengthen federal-city relationships; ensure that federal policy meets urban needs; provide mayors with leadership and management tools; and create a forum in which mayors can share ideas and information.

National Association of Home Builders

NAHB is a trade association that helps promote the policies that make housing a national priority. Since 1942, NAHB has been serving its members, the housing industry, and the public at large.

NAHB strives to create an environment in which all Americans have access to the housing of their choice and the opportunity to realize the American dream of homeownership; builders have the freedom to operate as entrepreneurs in an open and competitive environment; and housing and those who provide it are recognized as the strength of the nation.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) comprises 21 Democratic Members of the United States Congress of Hispanic descent. The Caucus is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States and Puerto Rico.

National Association of Mortgage Brokers

The National Association of Mortgage Brokers is the voice of the mortgage broker industry, representing the interests of mortgage brokers and homebuyers since 1973. The Association is committed to promoting the highest degree of professionalism and ethical standards for its members. In addition to mandating members adhere to a professional code of ethics, NAMB provides mortgage brokers with professional education opportunities, and offers rigorous certification programs to recognize members with the highest levels of professional knowledge and education.

National Association of Black Mortgage Brokers

The National Association of Black Mortgage Brokers is a trade association dedicated to educating mortgage originators and the community on mortgage products and services. We aim to educate the legislators by better educating elected officials on pressing issues that affect the mortgage and real estate industry in our communities.

We are in full support of the Nehemiah group and their attempts to preserve down payment assistance. We know first hand that this will have a devastating affect on our members and our ability to serve our communities if this program goes away.

Mortgage Bankers Association

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) is the national association representing the real estate finance industry, an industry that employs more than 370,000 people in virtually every community in the country. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., MBA invests in communities across the nation by ensuring the continued strength of the nation's residential and commercial real estate markets; expanding homeownership and extending access to affordable housing to all Americans and supporting financial literacy efforts.

National Urban League

Established in 1910, The Urban League is the nation's oldest and largest community- based movement devoted to empowering African Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream. Today, the National Urban League, headquartered in New York City, spearheads the non-partisan efforts of its local affiliates. There are over 100 local affiliates of the National Urban League located in 35 states and the District of Columbia providing direct services to more than 2 million people nationwide through programs, advocacy and research.

The mission of the Urban League movement is to enable African Americans to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights.

National Association of Realtors

The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. Its membership is composed of residential and commercial REALTORS®, who are brokers, salespeople, property managers, appraisers, counselors and others engaged in all aspects of the real estate industry. Members belong to one or more of some 1,600 local associations/boards and 54 state and territory associations of REALTORS®. They are pledged to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. Working for America’s property owners, the National Association provides a facility for professional development, research and exchange of information among its members and to the public and government for the purpose of preserving the free enterprise system and the right to own real property.

National Coalition of 100 Black Women

The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Stone Mountain-Lithonia Chapter, Inc., is an advocacy organization dedicated to bringing voice to the issues that concern women of color and children in Georgia. Their chapter was founded June 3, 2003 and chartered April 4, 2004. They are a tax-exempt organization under IRC 501(c)(4).

Milken Report

It's a long-held belief that owning a home is a symbol of and a testament to the American Dream. In this first study of its kind, researchers at the Milken Institute found that Down Payment Assistance Programs (DAP) - and specifically recipients of Nehemiah Corporation's DAP - have become vital economic tools for helping low- to moderate-income families reach that dream and become homeowners.

Congressional Black Caucus

The Congressional Black Caucus is an organization representing the African American members of the Congress of the United States. Membership is exclusive to African Americans and its chair in the 110th Congress is Representative Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick of Michigan.

The Caucus describes its goals as "positively influencing the course of events pertinent to African-Americans and others of similar experience and situation," and "achieving greater equity for persons of African descent in the design and content of domestic and international programs and services."

United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

In 1979, several dedicated Hispanic leaders realized the enormous potential of the Hispanic business community in the United States and envisioned the need for a national organization to represent its interests before the public and private sectors. Later that year, the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) was incorporated in the state of New Mexico, creating a structured organization aimed at developing a business network that would provide the Hispanic community with cohesion and strength.

Since its inception, the USHCC has worked towards bringing the issues and concerns of the nation’s more than 2.5 million Hispanic-owned businesses to the forefront of the national economic agenda.

Christian Community Development Association

The Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) is a not-for-profit, national association made up of over 3,000 individuals and more than 500 organizations from grassroots, community based groups to some of the largest relief and development organizations in the world. Working in some of the most under-resourced neighborhoods in America, CCDA members are redeveloping communities of need using the principles of Christian Community Development. The goal of CCDA is to teach others how to rebuild their communities and turn them from places of devastation into places of hope. The mission of CCDA is to inspire and train Christians who seek to bear witness to the Kingdom of God by reclaiming and restoring under–resourced communities.

California Black Chamber Of Commerce

The California Black Chamber of Commerce is the largest African American non-profit business organization representing hundreds of small and emerging businesses, affiliates and chambers of commerce throughout the state.

Representative Dan Burton (R-IN)

Dan Burton is currently serving his thirteenth term as a United States Representative from Indiana's Fifth Congressional District. His first term in Congress began in January of 1983. The Fifth District lies in the heart of central Indiana and includes all of Tipton, Grant, Miami, Wabash, Huntington, Hamilton, and Hancock Counties, as well as parts of Marion, Shelby, Howard and Johnson Counties.

Congressman Burton wrote a letter to HUD expressing his serious concerns regarding the impact of losing downpayment assistance in his state.

If you are a member of an organization that may want to join the movement to save the dream of home ownership for thousands of deserving Americans, please contact:

Kevin Koenig
National Director of Outreach
Nehemiah Corporation of America
E-mail: kkoenig@nehemiahcorp.org