New Story supporters,

I’m proud of the progress we’ve made together in the last few months. From more families accessing adequate housing to hiring senior talent to pioneering market-based solutions, you make all the progress possible. Thank you.

We’re still in the early days of using a market-based strategy to serve families at scale, but because of the results we’re seeing, I’ve never been more confident in the direction we’re heading.

In the past quarter alone, you’ve helped us build new homes, make land ownership more accessible, and innovate an alternative credit scoring system for unbanked families.

Your generosity is helping us build differently to unlock adequate housing for vulnerable families.

The most practical way you empower this work is by helping us hire top talent. We recently hired our first CDO and an impact partnerships director. You’ll meet Liezl and Claudia in this report — both women bring remarkable competency and character to our work.

We’re ready to finish 2023 strong and serve families with the housing solutions they need and want. Thank you for helping us build a housing market that works for everyone.

TEAM UPDATE

Meet Liezl Van Riper

New Story’s first chief development officer

Over the past two decades, Liezl has built a tremendous reputation and resume across the social enterprise sector. We’re honored to have her design and lead New Story’s fundraising strategy as we aim to impact 1 million people by 2030.

Liezl is joining the New Story team in an ideal season as we fully commit to a market-based impact strategy. The sustainable model unlocks access to more capital previously untapped in our first eight years as an organization.

“I want to seize on the fundraising opportunity that has been created by New Story’s evolution to a market-based approach.” — Liezl Van Riper

Learn more about Liezl’s background by reading the full blog here.

Meet Claudia Acuña Fernandez

New Story’s first impact partnerships director

Claudia brings more than 20 years of experience in Mexico’s urban development and housing sector. She’s held positions at the Ministry of Social Development, the Federal Mortgage Society, and, most recently, INFONAVIT (National Institute of the Workers’ Housing Fund).

“I am extremely excited for Claudia to join New Story, not only for her remarkable experience in the field of housing for low-income families but also for her passion and commitment to finding solutions that are sustainable and don’t rely on one single actor to reduce the housing deficit for vulnerable populations.” — Sandra Prieto, managing director of strategy and impact at New Story

Get to know Claudia by reading our Q&A with her here.

IMPACT UPDATE

Innovating financial access for unbanked families

In 2022, around 65% of Mexico’s adult population didn’t have access to credit through formal financial institutions. Lack of credit access prevents families from securing the housing they need.

We’re partnering with MiBolsillo, an established fintech company, and Acreimex, a leading credit union in Mexico, to bring a proven and innovative alternative credit scoring system to low-income families in Yucatan, Mexico. MiBolsillo’s technology helps Acreimex accurately predict low-income families’ capacity to repay a loan. For families, MiBolsillo’s app allows them to learn financial literacy, track their finances, and create a financial plan for securing their housing.

We’re managing the pilot to prove to the market the creditworthiness of the informal population.

View the project one-pager to learn more about the housing solution, New Story’s role in the work, and the expected impact.

FIELD UPDATE

90 Families Move Home

In collaboration with the municipality and other local actors, we’re excited to share that 90 families recently received their keys to their new homes in Jojutla, Mexico!

Many of these families lost their homes after the 2017 earthquake and didn’t have access to proper housing or financing services. On September 19th, the sixth anniversary of the earthquake, these resilient families became homeowners.

Before moving in, the families brought their dreams and commitments to life with a social integration workshop. Families wrote down their expectations, dreams, and commitments.

Here are some of our favorite responses to the question, “What do you commit to once you become a homeowner?”

• I commit to being responsible, friendly, and helpful to everyone in the community.
• I commit to listening and respecting everyone’s opinions in the community.
• I commit to maintaining a clean community and helping the environment.

A special thank you to the Huber family for showing radical generosity and bringing this community to life.

2023 CULTURE SURVEY

You make a healthy culture possible 🤝

New Story’s greatest asset is our people. We care deeply about creating a healthy culture that can stay strong in hard seasons. Below, you’ll see that we’re as healthy as we’ve ever been as we head into the final quarter of 2023. Thank you for helping us make this progress possible.

“I feel like I belong at New Story”

100%

Strongly Agree / Agree

The most important metric at New Story. Because we believe a sense of belonging helps people love and care for each other and do their best work.

“I have had opportunities to learn and grow this year”

100%

Strongly Agree / Agree

We want every New Story team member to have the chance to grow in their craft and character.

“My manager shows empathy”

96%

Strongly Agree / Agree

We attribute much of a healthy culture to managers who care for their people on a personal level.

Ways to get involved

Vision Night in NYC // October 23

Vision Nights are exclusive moments to connect with other impact-driven leaders and go behind the scenes of our work. You’ll learn how the New Story community is investing in sustainable and scalable housing solutions. And you’ll be the first to learn about our newest innovative projects.

If you’re interested in attending the Vision Night on October 23, email annie@newstoryhomes.org.

Vision Trip in Mexico // December 7-10

Vision Trips are the best way to see your impact and our work in person. You’ll join our team on a trip to Mexico. We’ll visit the communities you support, connect with our Mexico City team of housing experts, and, of course, share quality time over great food.

If you’re interested in joining a Vision Trip, email annie@newstoryhomes.org.