There are always opportunities to better our local communities, and Hancock Whitney knows that by collaborating with like-minded organizations, we can do more good in the cities and towns we call home.
One such organization is the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas). One of 11 banks part of the Federal Home Loan Bank System, FHLB Dallas serves as an affordable, flexible source of funding for member institutions across Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas and New Mexico.
Partners for more than 20 years, our organizations have provided more than $11.9 million in grants advancing affordable housing and economic development across Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.
Hancock Whitney and FHLB Dallas present grant funds to individuals and nonprofits to advance community development efforts.
Housing & Economic Growth
FHLB Dallas understands the programs needed to benefit local communities and through various initiatives including subsidy and disaster recovery programs, FHLB Dallas ensures more people are able to achieve their dreams.
FHLB Dallas’s Affordable Housing Program (AHP) helps nonprofit organizations finance the purchase, construction and/or rehabilitation of owner-occupied, rental, transitional and housing for homeless in communities across the Gulf Coast. To date, we’ve collaborated to award $9.3 million in AHP grants.
Not only does our partnership assist nonprofits advancing homeownership, we are also able to assist families in achieving their dream of owning a home. Through the Homebuyer Equity Leverage Partnership (HELP) program we’ve assisted low-income, qualified, first-time homebuyers with nearly $1 million in down payment and closing cost assistance.
Hancock Whitney also has the unique opportunity to assist Community Based Organizations (CBO’s) in applying for the Partnership Grant Program (PGP). FHLB Dallas offers its PGP program on an annual basis via a lottery system and provides a 3:1 match of Hancock Whitney’s contribution to CBO’s with a focus on affordable housing or small business development.
Disaster Recovery
Serving the Gulf Coast corridor, disasters, especially hurricanes, are simply a part of life. When storm clouds clear, we’re ready to join our partners and jump into recovery. Together with FHLB Dallas we are able to assist individuals impacted by natural disasters in federally declared disaster areas to repair or reconstruct their primary residence through the Disaster Rebuilding Assistance (DRA) program. We’ve passed along more than $665K to community members in need to repair their homes.
Before and after photos of residents impacted by Hurricane Ida and the repairs made possible through FHLB Dallas’s Disaster Rebuilding Assistance program.
In the last three years, however, that relationship has been able to expand a step further, to help support Hancock Whitney’s own associates in the wake of disaster.
Following Hurricanes Laura, Zeta, Delta and Ida, many Hancock Whitney associates returned to their homes to find substantial damage. That’s when Hancock Whitney Community Development Officer, LaCarsha Babers leveraged her relationship with FHLB Dallas to help support her colleagues in their recovery.
“Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas offers disaster recovery grants and I thought our associates could benefit from the assistance as they began to make repairs or rebuild their homes,” said Babers.
FHLB Dallas’s DRA program also assists members’ employees recovering from hurricanes, providing up to $3,000 per household in grant funding for repairs.
With FHLB Dallas funding available and a plan in hand, Babers approached leadership with the opportunity and outlined how she would assist facilitating grant applications for interested associates. Following resounding approval, she dove into work and continued to assist fellow colleagues’ storm after storm. Most recently, throughout fall of 2021, Babers worked tirelessly to assist 60 associates in applying for recovery grants, securing $200,000 in total assistance.
Without her help, many of our associates may not have received grant funding to put toward their recovery efforts following the storm. For our associates dealing with damaged homes, every little bit helped get life back to normal.
Babers insists it’s all part of her calling, and another facet of partnering with FHLB Dallas to do well in the places we work and live.
“Our partnership with Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas provides an ongoing opportunity to strengthen our relationships with community partners by providing grants for down payment, closing cost assistance for first-time homebuyers, disaster recovery assistance and owner-occupied rehab for elderly and disabled homeowner. However, being able to extend that additional level of support to our own associates during trying times is extremely gratifying,” said Babers.
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