Westerly, RI According to Washington Trust, the Washington Trust Charitable Foundation has awarded $22,000 to NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley to support their development and execution of a new Focused Neighborhood Homeownership Initiative.

The goal of the Initiative is to assist 20 renters from underserved communities on their journey to become a first-time homeowner. Available in both English and Spanish, the program will provide culturally and linguistically relevant education sessions, personalized credit counseling, homebuyer readiness services, mentoring, and post-purchase support.

“Washington Trust is committed to helping our neighbors realize the dream of homeownership,” said Rolando Lora, Washington Trust executive vice president and chief retail lending officer. “We are proud to support their efforts as this investment is a testament to NeighborWorks’ incredible commitment to create homeownership opportunities for underserved communities.”

“We are grateful for the support of Washington Trust as we launch this very intentional and innovative program,” said Joe Garlick Executive Director of NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley. “We look forward to getting this Initiative off the ground to not only serve 20 individuals and families on their homeownership journey, but to also build the infrastructure that will sustain a pipeline of future homeowners from these communities long into the future.”

The Focused Neighborhood Homeownership Initiative is scheduled to begin accepting applicants in early May.

The grant is part of more than $459,000 of total giving granted by the Washington Trust Charitable Foundation to 60 organizations throughout the Bank’s footprint, $122,000 of which was directed to support safe and affordable housing and homeownership programs.