Housing Initiatives History


1991:  USBC founds the Fair Lending Center to address racial and ethnic disparities in homeownership and access to fair mortgage and consumer credit.  The Fair Lending Center grew out of the Project Change social justice initiative launched in 1991 by the Levi Strauss Foundation to reduce institutional racism.  The center has conducted non-discriminatory lending programs for financial institutions and has helped community groups enforce federal laws mandating that financial institutions invest in all communities where they take deposits.

Over 600 industry executives and staff have learned about the impact of discrimination on individuals, neighborhoods and cities by attending Fair Lending Center training. Programs also provide lenders with skills for implementing non-discriminatory lending policies and practices.

1998:  The Fair Lending Center expands into offices at the Institute of Public Law at the University of New Mexico School of Law.

2003:  The Fair Lending Center initiates the New Mexico Home Loan Protection Act in response to New Mexico’s vulnerability to predatory loans and subprime lending practices. 

2004: New Mexico’s Home Loan Protection Act, one of the strongest in the nation, is signed into law.    

2006:  

  • The Fair Lending Center merges with the United South Broadway Corporation and relocates to the South Broadway neighborhood in Albuquerque, a more accessible location for our clients.

  • Back to Broadway: An alternative to sprawl development, this USBC-initiated infill housing project gave first-time homebuyers a chance to own attractive, affordable housing in the historic South Broadway neighborhood of south Albuquerque, close to downtown. The Broadway Vistas condominiums were designed by Garrett Smith and constructed by Raylee Vantage Home Builders.

2007:  USBC’s Broadway Vistas development is featured on the 17th Annual Homes of Enchantment Parade and awarded Honorable Mention for Urban Infill Development

2008:   The Fair Lending Center develops and promotes the New Mexico Loan Originator Licensing Act recognizing the importance of accessibility to mortgage credit for New Mexico residents, and the need to protect consumers seeking mortgage loans.  

2009:  The New Mexico Loan Originator Licensing Act is signed into law.  

2010:  The Home Loan Protection Act becomes a model for homeowner protections provided in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. 

2011:  The New York Times features the Fair Lending Center’s proactive work in the February 2, 2011 issue.

2012:  The State Bar of New Mexico recognizes the Fair Lending Center’s Foreclosure Defense Project the Outstanding Program of 2012.     

2014:  

  • USBC develops and promotes legislation to create a statewide Foreclosure Task Force to address mortgage servicing and foreclosure problems in New Mexico.

  • USBC convenes and chairs the Foreclosure Process Task Force, which recommends significant improvements to mortgage servicing and foreclosure proceedings in New Mexico. 

2016:  New Mexico’s First Judicial District Access to Justice Committee recognizes USBC’s outstanding service to New Mexicans through regular participation in pro bono legal clinics.   


Youth Development History


2003:

The Bosque Youth Conservation Corps serves youth between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one with hands-on training to demonstrate the importance of the community’s connection to forestry, and further their education.

1997:

The Financial Literacy Corps is founded as a partnership with the University of New Mexico Community Engagement Center that trains students to offer workshops and connect families to resources in their own communities to help them prevent or manage financial shocks such as foreclosures and bankruptcy.

 

Commercial Revitalization And Community Building Initiatives History
 

1990:  South Broadway Neighborhood Association (SBNA):  In the early 1990s, USBC joined SBNA in a successful community-based campaign to rid the area of entrenched drug traffickers.  

1994:  In recognition of its anti-drug-trafficking campaign, SBNA received the national Neighborhood of the Year Award.   

2000:  Under USBC’s  leadership, the Main Street program rehabilitated and restored buildings in three commercial corridors in Albuquerque:   Fourth Street in the Barelas neighborhood, Broadway Boulevard in the South Broadway neighborhood, and Central Avenue in the Huning Highland neighborhood.  

2004:  The Residential/Commercial Façade Improvement and Good Neighbors/Good Fences project helped Albuquerque businesses and residents refurbish street front properties.  The project enhanced local streetscapes, brought in new business, and increased the desirability of the historic neighborhoods south and east of downtown.  

2005: 

  • The USBC Neighborhood Commercial Revitalization Program was awarded the Excellence in Business Initiative. 

  • The USBC Main Street project received the Main Street 2000 Retail Promotion of the Year and Image Promotion of the Year awards.