Nick Wilkinson, director of development for Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise, Angela Conner, vice president community development at SunTrust, Katie Moore, housing services coordinator for Knoxville Leadership Foundation, and Abby Garrison, director of strategic initiatives at Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise, pose for a photo following the East Region of the Tennessee Affordable Housing Coalition Meeting in Chattanooga.
SunTrust Bank served as the host and sponsor of the East Region of the Tennessee Affordable Housing Coalition meeting in Chattanooga on Wednesday, at McCallie School, and discussed tactics for building successful community relationships.
“Community partnerships are vital to nonprofit organizations, especially during challenging economic times,” said Abby Garrison, director of strategic initiatives at Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise, who delivered the keynote presentation. “By sharing ideas, we, as a coalition, can take those best practices back to our organizations and implement them to develop stronger community partnerships, which will ultimately create stronger neighborhoods.”
Since 1997, CNE has partnered with SunTrust for the Revolving Loan Fund, which has helped more than 200 families become homeowners.
“SunTrust’s growth requires continued economic growth in the communities we serve, and the long-standing partnership with CNE to provide affordable loans in support of homeownership and economic development is just one example of our commitment to community development, and to the vital role of partnerships in this work,” said Mike Butler, regional president of SunTrust.
The goal of the East Region of the Tennessee Affordable Housing Coalition is to create sound and affordable housing opportunities. The coalition includes not-for-profit housing providers, public housing agencies, builders, realtors, lenders and agencies from various governmental levels from across East Tennessee, spanning from Chattanooga northward to the Tri-Cities.
To learn more about affordable housing options in the Chattanooga area, please visit www.cneinc.org.