Spotlight on Ally

2.14.2019 — LISC StoriesFunder in the Spotlight

Rural LISC Utah partner organization Self-Help Homes building Winegar Estates, a 49 unit self-help neighborhood in Payson, Utah.

Rural LISC would like to recognize Ally Bank for their dedication to rural America and to Rural LISC's network of community-based organization (CBO) partners. Ally’s continued support of Rural LISC is instrumental in sustaining the innovative and invaluable work of our CBO partners.

"We could not be more proud to partner with Ally Bank."

— Suzanne Anarde, LISC Vice President and Rural LISC Director

Ally takes pride in their commitment to “do right” by making a difference for their customers not only through their award-winning banking and financial services but also through their community involvement. Ally hosts a variety of community involvement projects – projects which have created impactful change and long-standing programs that benefit communities in their geographic footprint. Ally looks beyond the typical ideas of giving and strategically focuses on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues that provide a positive social impact. With an approach dedicated to diversity and inclusion, Ally remains driven to support positive efforts and encourage economic mobility in communities in which Ally customers and employees live and work. Ally does this through championing a variety of endeavors ranging from providing financial education programs, creating affordable housing, and the development of workforce preparedness and job training.

Rural LISC collaborates with CBO partners in Ally’s home base in Utah, and also within its larger Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) area, including the states of Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.

Funds provided by Ally Bank to Rural LISC support two CBO partners serving Ally's market area in Utah: Self-Help Homes and Neighborhood Housing Solutions. With Ally Bank’s contributions, Rural LISC provides each partner organization with capacity building assistance, including one-on-one technical assistance, training and grant funding.

“Ally Bank is a trusted Rural LISC collaborator providing essential support to our partners in Utah dedicated to providing affordable housing solutions for growing families across the state,” said Suzanne Anarde, LISC Vice President and Rural LISC Director. “Our Utah-based partner organizations, Self-Help Homes and Neighborhood Housing Solutions, are laying the groundwork for truly beneficial and long-lasting change in the lives of the residents in the communities they serve. We could not be more proud to partner with Ally Bank in this endeavor.”

Self-Help Homes has been a Rural LISC CBO partner since 2011. Throughout its large geographic footprint in Utah, Self-Help Homes has a strong reputation for providing quality affordable housing statewide through its Mutual Self-Help Housing Program. The program provides safe, sustainable and affordable housing for very low and low median income families. Self-Help Homes' and Ally Bank’s philosophies align well through their common goals off building sustainable communities by collaborating with local government, nonprofits, private businesses and the families they serve.

Self-Help Homes' Mutual Self-Help Program, Payson, Utah.

Neighborhood Housing Solutions' (NHS) service area also covers the state of Utah. Since joining the Rural LISC network in 2015, NHS has utilized Ally Bank funding to host a variety of programs and services – from pre-purchase housing counseling to the Financial Freedom program with its matched savings account; from its affordable and accessible rental communities for very low income people with disabilities to the Mutual Self-Help Housing Program; and from its single-family rehabilitation program to foreclosure prevention counseling. Each of these activities strengthens clients from all walks of life, as well as the communities in which they live.

Neighbors-to-be help each other to build their new homes through Neighborhood Housing Solutions' Mutual Self-Help Housing Program.

Together, Self-Help Homes and Neighborhood Housing Solutions have created more than 400 affordable homes for very low to moderate income individuals and families in Utah, and collectively anticipate the completion of 100 more by the end of 2019. Their homes are all Energy Star certified and xeriscape, and promote walkability and healthy living practices.

A completed neighborhood from Neighborhood Housing Solutions.

In addition to providing financial support for Rural LISC CBOs, Ally Bank generously underwrote a portion of the costs associated with the 2018 Rural LISC Annual Seminar, "Recognizing Opportunity: Resilience, Recovery, and Revitalization in Rural America." The seminar was held in May 2018 in Washington, D.C., bringing together more than 250 rural community development practitioners from across the nation. Practitioners came together to share best practices, network and collectively dialogue on many critical issues facing small communities in rural America. Sessions and plenaries covered topics such as organizational resilience, disaster resilience and recovery, and community and economic resilience.

The support provided by Ally is vital in assisting Rural LISC to maintain a high level of service and technical assistance to our partner organizations within the Ally Bank market area – partners that are producing exemplary programs and products for lower income residents. Rural LISC cannot be more appreciative of this steadfast funder.