Reading, PA: Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Berks County (NHS) is hosting their 40th Anniversary Celebration, “There’s No Place Like Home” on Wednesday, May 16th from 5:30 to 9:30 PM at the DoubleTree, Reading. The event celebrates the important role home ownership and resident engagement play in united communities.
“We chose the Wizard of Oz for our celebration theme”, states Stephen T. Gieringer Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Berks County Executive Director, “because first time home buyers may feel like Dorothy as they maneuver through uncharted territories of purchasing their first home. NHS gives guidance and creates opportunities for people who want to purchase and maintain their homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities. NHS provides education, counseling and lending services to make the home buying process less burdensome.”
“To help celebrate our amazing accomplishment our evening includes dinner, performances by the Circus School of Lancaster and a silent disco presented by Pollen Consolidated,” says Gieringer.
Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Berks was created on December 19, 1977 as the 27th organization in the national network. Since 1977, NHS has proudly served the City of Reading and Berks County while adhering to the highest standards of the NeighborWorks® America network.
In 1964, Dorothy Richardson founded the first Neighborhood Housing Services organization out of necessity. She was a resident of a poor Pittsburgh neighborhood and was informed that she and her neighbors were to be relocated making way for an urban renewal project. She harnessed the community’s strength and City Council agreed to stop the redevelopment plans if she could get private money and broader resident support to revitalize the area. Hence, she founded the first Neighborhood Housing Services organization serving as its first Board President. In the 1970s, Congress determined Ms. Richardson’s model was the best to rebuild our cities and began a national network of organizations.
Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Berks, located in the City of Reading, creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities. In addition to homebuyer education and counseling, NHS works throughout the year to engage our
community members to build resident leadership.
