RCHA Partners
The HomeOwnership Center
The HomeOwnership Center, Inc. (HOC) began as a program of the Randolph County Housing Authority (RCHA). Having gained expertise in counseling, underwriting, and construction, RCHA chartered a nonprofit homeownership center in 1998 to become a one-stop-shop for homeowners and homeownership. HOC became a legally independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. HOC applied to NRC for membership in the NeighborWorks network and received a charter in 2001. In 2002 HOC joined the NeighborWorks Campaign for Home Ownership and also became a designated NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Center. In 2003 the new NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Center, Inc., of Elkins, WV officially opened its doors in a new location as it moved from its former shared space within the RCHA building.
The HOC provides training, counseling and financing to low-to-moderate income families and first-time homebuyers, as well as a source of continuing support for existing homeowners. HOC's products and services are offered to consumers at all income levels. The mission of HOC is to promote safe, affordable housing, focusing on sustainable homeownership, self-sufficiency, sound environments, healthy quality of life and communities that can sustain these values.
For additional information, please visit the HOC website, http://www.hocwv.org.
Woodlands Development Group
The Woodland's Development Group is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in 1995 with the assistance of the Randolph County Housing Authority. It is a certified Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) with a nine-member Board of Directors. Woodland's Development Group was created to better serve the housing needs of low to moderate income families in Randolph, Barbour and Tucker counties.
Woodlands Development Group strives to meet the needs of their communities by building quality, energy efficient, affordable housing. Since its inception, WDG has completed 24 units of rental housing in Randolph and Barbour counties, including six units for the elderly and handicapped. Woodlands also operates a homeownership program and has built 17 houses for sale or lease-purchase.
Woodlands Development Group provides quality, energy efficient housing by using the best materials available and utilizing Energy Star products whenever possible. Woodlands buys its construction materials locally and hires many local contractors. Woodlands also contracts with the Highland Community Builders construction crew and YouthBuild to build their housing. Emphasis is always placed on providing a quality product to our customers.
Woodlands Development Group maintains quality rental property, contracting with the RCHA for administrative, property management and development functions. This enables WDG to benefit from the expertise and experience of RCHA, while remaining a lean organization itself. In addition, RCHA administers the Section 8 program for this area, which assists the low-income families renting WDG units.
Woodlands Development Group partners with the HomeOwnership Center, marketing their homes to qualified buyers in the region. The HOC also provides credit counseling, homebuyer education and support, and mortgage origination for all income families. Mortgage financing is accessed through Rural Development, FAHE and other leveraged loan products.
For additional information, please visit the WDG website, http://wdgwv.org.
Highland Community Builders
Highland Community Builders (HCB) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to:
Develop, construct, manage and finance any and all types of real estate properties and provide education, social service, and community development services to low and moderate income persons; and promote and support the mission, activities, programs and operation of the RCHA.
In 2005, the Board of Commissioners of the Randolph County Housing Authority (RCHA) decided to take on the challenge of increasing the impact of its affordable housing development activities. Planning for growth required the RCHA to evaluate its structure for delivering products and services, as well as its available capital and human resources.
HCB is able to provide development and construction services to a variety of organizations including RCHA and Woodlands Development Group. HCB and partner organizations have also formed Wilson Lane LLC, a for-profit entity overseeing the development of Highland Meadows, a new subdivision in Elkins. Diversifying its clients and services, HCB is also marketing construction services to private homeowners.
For additional information, please visit the Highland Meadows website at www.highlandmeadowswv.com .
