NeighborNews Winter 2023

Nathan Murphy joined the NeighborWorks Waco team on January 3rd of this year as the Construction Manager. He has over 30 years of experience in residential construction and has a deep appreciation for this profession. Murphy has gained well-rounded experience in a range of construction project applications throughout his career, and he’s looking forward to…

AARP Tax-Aide provides tax assistance to anyone, free of charge, with a focus on taxpayers who are over 50 and have low to moderate income. Tax-Aide volunteers are trained and IRS-certified every year to ensure they know about and understand the latest changes and additions to the tax code. East Waco Library901 Elm AvenueWaco, TX…

Payday and auto title loans are short-term, high-interest loans, usually for small amounts but with a very high price tag. These risky loans come with high-interest rates and hefty fees. For example, for a $1000 loan due in a month, the average borrower pays $775 in fees. If payment cannot be made in full, the…

A dream that many of us have is homeownership. Being a homeowner adds a sense of pride, financial success, equity building, long-term savings, and a strong credit history. And the overall result leads to generational wealth. This means that wealth gained through homeownership is passed down to generations to come. Well, this hasn’t been the…

Q&A with Melissa Washington, Homebuyer in the Legacy Square Development What barriers did you have prior to working with NeighborWorks that inhibited you from buying your home? I was very fortunate to begin my financial journey through a program the Waco Housing Authority (WHA) offers called Family Self-Sufficiency Program. This program assists those that are…

The Housing Crisis Continues! Not only have we seen record increases in housing costs over the past year, but now the interest rates have increased to a point where the combination of housing purchase prices and housing financing rates have put homeownership out of reach for even moderate-income potential homebuyers. We are also now seeing…

I am honored that in the fall of 2022, NeighborWorks Waco (NWW) completed the Legacy Square home development project on the historical location of the former R L Smith Campus in East Waco. Serving on the NeighborWorks board for 6 years and now serving as the board chair is a continued passionate thread of my…