Community Housing Assistance Services
A real estate-based education program focused on empowering underserved communities through training in financial literacy, total health and leadership development. Leveraging online and in-person training modules. Across multiple modules, participants gain exposure to all aspects of the real estate investment life cycle while gaining exposure to real industry professionals, analyzing real opportunities and helping to invest real capital into real estate within their own communities.
The following are the programs provided by Community Housing Assistance Services Center, Inc.
- Train scholars in leadership and entrepreneurship through evaluation of “live” real estate investments in their local community
- Create cultivated networking opportunities where scholars engage directly with local companies and executives.
- Participants will be stakeholders in real estate, whereby they receive financial scholarships and/or awards.
- Housing Education workshops and courses offered to adults at H.C.C. in Tampa.
- The Community Camp -a program that teaches 8 weeks of real-estate fundamentals to inner city youth.
- Lease Purchase program: a course that teaches homeownership preparation courses and a program that gets tenants ready for ownership.
- Transitions is offered to other non-profit organizations like The Michael Smith Foundation to help provide young adults the necessary information to apply for housing, understanding credit, budgeting and finance.
- Community development – we develop workforce housing within opportunity zones in the community
- Scholarship program for majors in Real-estate or Banking industry which includes trades etc.
Business Assistance Services
The Economic Development Center’s Business Assistance Services /BAS) blends business expertise, customized training, technology applications and real-world experience – to help enterprises succeed. The resources are available to businesses that are starting out, need to expand or want to improve their bottom line. Whatever the need, the BAS is available to help.
We also recognizes that many segments of the small business community continue to have difficulty in accessing business advice and capital from traditional venues. These businesses are generally newer, smaller businesses that need small size loans and technical assistance. They are usually owned by minorities, women and veterans and are located in or locating to low to moderate income urban and rural areas. The EDC seeks to revitalize not only the under-served community but hopes to develop and support long term solutions that provide multi-faceted approach (resources, knowledge, and skills) to build community wide, as well as individual net worth.
Counseling Services
Whether you are thinking of starting your own business, expanding your business, or looking for guidance with management of your business the EDC/BAS has experienced counselors and advisors that can assist. The EDC/BAS counselors can assist you with:
- Brainstorm growth strategies
- Answer technical assistance questions
- Business start up
- State and local licensing requirements
- Legal structures of business
- Market research
- Business/marketing plans
- Financial statements/budgeting/cash flow analysis
- Identify funding options
- Loan packaging
All business counseling sessions are free, confidential and tailored to the unique needs of each business. The counselors will share with you their business experience and their knowledge of both available resources and requirements for running a business.
Business Evaluations
The EDC performs, a “Healthy Business Check Up” on selected businesses located within the area that are willing to participate in this service. The items included in the checklist are important for a good, strong business. The evaluation items include but are not limited to:
- Legal Issues Accounting Issues Tax Issues
- Insurance Issues Payroll Issues Computer Issues
- Employee Issues Planning Issues Analysis Issues
- Personal Finance Planning Issues
Business Loan Counseling and Assistance
The EDC works with businesses located within Hillsborough County or interested in locating in Hillsborough County to discuss their plans for financing and receive help to identify conventional and non-convention loan sources.
Support of Non-Profit Organizations
Whether you or your organization is thinking of starting a non-profit, expanding your non-profit, or looking for guidance with management of your non-profit, the EDC/BAS has experienced counselors and advisors that can assist by helping you