New HHQ Board Members

Home HeadQuarters welcomes the following new members to its Board of Directors:

Sun Allen is a Northside resident and owner and sole-proprietor of 754 Barber Spa, a cutting edge barber shop and spa also on the city’s Northside. Ms. Allen is currently working on a Business Leadership and Management Degree at LeMoyne College, is active in the Women’s Golf Club of LeMoyne and is a member of 40 below. Ms. Allen will serve as a resident member of the Board of Directors.

Magaly Nobles

Magaly Nobles is a 10-year resident and homeowner on the city’s Near Westside and currently works for the Syracuse City School District providing case management and instruction for new immigrant populations and for those leaving incarceration. Ms. Nobles just received her Masters in Criminal Justice Administration and is active in the Near Westside Initiative Resident Engagement Committee. Ms. Nobles will serve as a resident member of the Board of Directors.

Bill Sweeney

Bill Sweeney has spent 25 years in the financial services industry and for the past nine years he has served as the CEO of the ESM-NS Federal Credit Union. Mr. Sweeney has served for over 10 years as a member of Home HeadQuarters' loan committee. Mr. Sweeney is a graduate of Le Moyne College and received a Masters from Syracuse University in social science. Mr. Sweeney will serve as a private sector representative of the Board of Directors.

Jim Rowley

Jim Rowley currently serves as Onondaga County’s Chief Fiscal Officer. Previously, Mr. Rowley was elected to serve on the Clay Town Board and served as Town Supervisor. Mr. Rowley was also most recently Chief Financial Officer/Director of Personnel for Polaris Library Systems. Mr. Rowley has a BS degree from Clarkson University and an MBA degree from Syracuse University. Mr. Rowley will serve as a government representative of the Board of Directors.

From the Ground up

In case you missed the news, three architectural design winners were announced for new innovative green-building single-family homes on the city’s Near Westside. Syracuse University School of Architecture in partnership with Syracuse Center of Excellence and Home HeadQuarters held the national competition in search of new home designs that showcased new strategies for energy efficiency and green building while remaining affordable to buy and own. For more information on the competition and the designs, click here.

First Niagara Bank: Newest FlexFund Participant

Welcome to First Niagara Bank as the latest financial institution to support and participate in Home HeadQuarters' FlexFund Home Improvement Program. The loan fund provides affordable home improvement dollars to those Central New York families that can’t borrow from traditional lenders due to a lack of equity in their homes.

From Renter to Homeowner - Johanna Sellers

After learning the cost of her rent and utilities could be equivalent to a mortgage payment, Johanna Sellers began house hunting.

In her search, she drove by a Home HeadQuarters’ rehabilitated home on the edge of Strathmore a number of times, even getting out of the car once to peek through a window. When she realized the home was within her price range, she knew; “It was just meant to be.”

Johanna signed up for Home HeadQuarters’ Nationally-certified Homebuyer Education Course to help her prepare for homeownership and to take advantage of the Down Payment and Closing Cost Assistance program. “Anyone interested in buying a home should take advantage of the classes and free counseling,” she suggests. “Home HeadQuarters helps you through each step and is on your side through everything.”

Johanna and her family, now proud homeowners, enjoy the spaciousness of their new home, the nice backyard and all the rehabbed amenities. And while she enjoys all of those things, Johanna freely admits that for her, “…the real selling point was all the closet space!”

For more information on the Homebuyer Education Course, click here.

New Foreclosure Prevention Counselor

Elaine Tearney

Home HeadQuarters welcomes Elaine Tearney as the newest addition to the Foreclosure Prevention Team. In her new position, Elaine will meet and counsel individuals in fear of losing their homes to foreclosure and will act on behalf of customers to banks and lenders. Elaine, a resident of Syracuse, joins us from the Syracuse City School District where she was a math teacher. This new position is made possible through the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program which is administered by NeighborWorks® America.

Thank You to JPMorgan Chase

Pictured: Kerry Quaglia, Home HeadQuarters Executive Director; Karen Curtin, JPMorgan Chase Senior Loan Officer and Sharon Owens, Home HeadQuarters HomeOwnership Director.

New Construction in the City's Newest Vintage Neighborhood

This week’s feature home is a new single-family home being constructed in the Lincoln Hill neighborhood on Shuart Avenue. Homebuyers can still make finish selections, including; floor treatments, cabinets, counter tops and light fixtures. All new construction homes will be Energy Star rated!

• $135,000
• 3 bedroom
• 2 bath
• 1st floor bedroom or office
• 1st floor laundry
• Detached Garage

For a complete list of Home HeadQuarters’ homes, click here.

Home HeadQuarters is a not-for-profit organization committed to creating housing and related opportunities that improve the lives of underserved Central and Upstate New York people and revitalize the communities in which they live. Established in 1996, Home HeadQuarters offers Nationally-certified Homebuyer Education for first time homebuyers, financial and homeownership counseling, Foreclosure Prevention and real estate planning and development. Home HeadQuarters is also one of the largest regional providers of affordable home and energy improvement loans and grants to area homeowners.