Center for Community Self-Help
 |
|
| CDFI | |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Durham, North Carolina |
|
Key people
|
Martin Eakes (CEO) |
| Products |
Financial services Microfinance |
|
Number of employees
|
240+ |
| Website | self-help.org |
The Center for Community Self-Help (Self-Help) is a community development lender and real estate developer. It was founded in Durham, North Carolina in 1980. Self-Help is one of the largest community development financial institutions in the United States, and a leader in profitably lending to underserved borrowers and communities.
Self Help's mission is to create and protect ownership and economic opportunity for all. Self-Help does this by providing responsible financial services, lending to small businesses and nonprofits, developing real estate and promoting fair financial practices. While Self-Help's work benefits communities of all kinds, the focus is on those who may be underserved by conventional lenders, including people of color, women, rural residents and low-wealth families and communities.
Impact. Through 2014, Self-Help provided $6.8 billion in financing, representing over 100,000 loans to families, individuals and organizations. Self-Help Credit Union has 18 branch offices located all over North Carolina.
In recent years Self-Help's credit union network has expanded in North Carolina, California and the Chicago area, as summarized here:
North Carolina. In recent years Self-Help Credit Union has merged with nine community-focused credit unions.These locally-rooted institutions were seeking to stabilize their operations and increase their products and services. In one recent example, a 2014 merger with Generations Community Credit Union helped to preserve and expand services for predominantly African-American communities in eastern and central NC.
California. In 2008, Self-Help started serving in California as Self-Help Federal Credit Union (SHFCU). SHFCU has grown through eight mergers with community-focused credit unions throughout the state. In Los Angeles, Self-Help acquired five stores from a conventional check casher and converted them into a hybrid check casher/credit union model that serves unbanked and underbanked consumers.
Chicago. When federal regulators closed Second Federal Savings and Loan in the Chicago area, Self-Help partnered with local community organizations to keep its branches open and assist customers. In 2012, Self-Help acquired Second Federal S&L and continued service to 14,000 predominantly Latino depositors and borrowers.
Altogether, Self-Help Credit Union and Self-Help Federal Credit Union have merged with 14 credit unions and one bank to create a network of over 40 branches serving almost 130,000 people in three states.
Martin Eakes and Bonnie Wright founded Self-Help in 1980 to provide management assistance to worker-cooperative businesses in low-income communities. In 1984, Self-Help established its financing affiliates - Self-Help Credit Union and Self-Help Ventures Fund - to help disadvantaged individuals build wealth through home and small business ownership.
...
Wikipedia