ABOUT
Many of Homewise’s development projects are located within historic communities such as the Barelas neighborhood in Albuquerque. Barelas is a predominantly Hispanic community located adjacent to downtown Albuquerque. Our work in Barelas has balanced a commitment to development that is responsive to needs and wants of current residents with an eye towards cultural preservation, honoring the community’s history and preventing cultural erasure.
In our development work, we have launched several placemaking projects such as the Barelas Walking Tour; a 20-site, self-guided walking tour project that includes an oral history of current and former Barelas Residents and the B Ruppe Drugstore Museum; a museum dedicated to the history of the B Ruppe Drugstore and the legacy of former owner and yerbera, Maclovia Zamora to maintain a strong sense of place and social cohesion in the community.
CREATIVE PLACEMAKING PROJECTS
BARELAS WALKING TOUR
B RUPPE MUSEUM
ABOUT
Homewise’s Commercial Loan Program creates opportunities for small businesses and non-profit organizations to own their own facilities in priority neighborhoods in both Santa Fe and Albuquerque. In alignment with our focus on wealth creation through homeownership, this loan product is designed to stabilize small businesses and non-profits, increasing the rate of owner-occupants in commercial buildings.
HOMEWISE OFFERS A COMPETITIVE COMMERCIAL LOAN
Lower down payment
than most commercial
mortgages
Single close for
acquisition and
improvements
Longer terms than most
commercial loans
Competitive
interest rates
LENDING TERRITORY MAPS
We offer loans to support development and growth in Albuquerque communities with limited economic opportunities, fostering vibrant, mixed-use areas that benefit local businesses and residents. We focus commercial lending in the Siler-Rufina District to support the area’s continued vibrancy that fosters local businesses, arts, affordable housing, and a healthy nonprofit sector.
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EDUCATION
LIVABILITY SPEAKER SERIES
The Livability in the Land of Enchantment Speaker Series is a community education program created in 2023 that brings local and national speakers to venues across Santa Fe to foster learning and dialogue about the ways land use decisions can make Santa Fe a more affordable, sustainable, and livable city. In the face of an unprecedented housing affordability crisis and following a series of contentious land use battles over proposed affordable housing projects, Homewise, with many other partners and leaders at the City, wanted to engage the public in land use discussions outside of heated conversations about individual development projects.
A coalition of partners led by residents, housing organizations, and Santa Fe City Councilors Jamie Cassutt and Carol Romero-Wirth, have committed, through the Livability Series, to raise the level of dialogue about affordable housing, empowering both residents and public officials to act in defense of our entire community
EDUCATION
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
WORKSHOP SERIES
At Homewise, the foundation of our work is education; we provide free financial literacy classes, Homebuyer Education, and our New Home, Now What? post-purchase class. Our clients receive intensive coaching services with the goal of making homeownership more sustainable. The Energy Efficiency Workshop series supports the ongoing education of Homewise homeowners and the general public about ways to improve their homes’ energy efficiency and help reduce utility costs.
Below is the list of workshops in 2023/2024:
Energy Efficiency 101:
Attendees learned about small changes they can make to their home to make them more energy efficient.
Home Energy Rebate Program Information Session:
Attendees learned about home rebates available under the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in 2022.
Solar Energy 101:
Solar energy basics including home-solar rebate programs and information on Community Solar.
Below is the list of workshops coming soon:
Water Conservation 101: Attendees learn about indoor and outdoor water conservation. Topics include water saving features (i.e. low flow toilets), xeriscaping, and water harvesting.
Electrify Your Life: Electric car rebates, electric bicycle infrastructure, and home electrification.
RESEARCH
HOMEWISDOM
Homewisdom is a research and public policy initiative, established by Homewise, to provide data, insights, and policy recommendations to help advance homeownership strategies. Homewise delivers thought leadership on how we can create positive change in New Mexico and the nation. Homewisdom research is focused on key issues such as closing the racial wealth gap through homeownership, and developing potential policy solutions for national, state and local lawmakers to consider. Our actionable solutions are grounded in decades of experience and current research.
RESEARCH
COMMUNITY IMPACT MEASUREMENT SURVEY REPORTS
With the goal of engaging in commercial development projects that are responsive to the needs and wants of residents, Homewise uses the Community Imapct Measurement Survey to understand perceptions of the community through the eyes of its residents. The survey covers topics such as quality of life, safety, available services, and what people think about the future of the neighborhood.
The confidential survey provides an opportunity for residents to share their opinions about the community, and residents are offered the opportunity to participate via mail, email or phone.
Read the short and long versions of our reports below:
RESEARCH
CHILDCARE FACILITIES REPORT
High quality early learning opportunities are the foundation upon which lifelong educational gains are built. However, more than half of New Mexican children aged zero to three cannot benefit from this important foundation because there are insufficient high quality affordable slots available to them. As Homewise embarked on a commercial redevelopment project to bring a high quality bilingual early learning center to Barelas, we dug into the early childhood funding environment and surveyed providers across the state to learn about the barriers they face to expansion. Read more here.
On October 27th, 2022, Homewise, Santa Fe Community College’s Early Childhood Center of Excellence, NMAEYC, and Deloitte presented a panel conversation at the Violet Crown about the financing and technical assistance required to move the needle on childcare facilities development and financing. Watch the conversation here.
ADVOCACY
COMMON GROUND
NEW MEXICO
In 2022, Homewise partnered with several schools, organizations, and businesses to launch Common Ground New Mexico. Common Ground New Mexico is committed to improving the lives of New Mexicans by bringing together diverse institutions to act together on common values and effect positive change in our local communities and across the state. We envision a state in which all New Mexicans have access to high-quality schools, employment opportunities, economic development, childcare, healthcare, affordable homes, safe streets and parks, healthy food, sustainable environments, and more. Thus far, Common Ground New Mexico has been collaborating with other groups to:
• Increase education data transparency
• Expand childcare
• Increase affordable housing, such as passage of the high-end excise tax for affordable housing in Santa Fe
ALBUQUERQUE
LIVABILITY FELLOWSHIP
Homewise regularly hears from community residents interested in learning how to effectively influence land use decisions and affordable housing policy. In response, we launched the Livability Fellowship in tandem with the Livability Speaker Series. In addition to attending each session of the Livability Speaker Series, fellows attend trainings on topics such as:
• Housing in Santa Fe: The history of affordable housing, current challenges, and potential solutions.
• Opportunities for Public Engagement in Housing and Land Use: Fellows review a rezoning process for a particular development and analyze letters to the editor and media coverage, and city and county meetings.
• Action Steps: participants brainstorm plans of action related to issues on which they are most interested in working.
Fellows increase their confidence in using community organizing tactics to promote housing affordability, livability, and sustainability and are further equipped to help shape the future of Santa Fe. The 2023 cohort played a significant role in the passage of the high-end excise tax for affordable housing.