Joseph Pacheco has his work cut out for him. In January, he took the reins of Taunton-based Pro-Home Inc., a nonprofit organization that offers homeownership counseling and advocates for affordable housing. In today’s economy, those are not easy tasks.
Pacheco recently took some time to discuss with Providence Business News his new position and the affordable housing market.
PBN: First off, for those unfamiliar with Pro-Home Inc., can you tell us a little about the organization?
PACHECO: Pro-Home Inc. is a Taunton based 501(c)3 nonprofit that was established in 1990 for the production, and protection of affordable housing; to work toward preventing the loss of, or displacement from, existing housing; to eliminate discrimination in housing; and to bring together diverse groups and individuals to aggressively work toward solutions.
Pro-Home services 13 communities in the Greater Taunton area and recently moved into its new facility on Summer Street in Taunton.
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PBN: What do you see as your priorities as the organization’s new executive director?
PACHECO: I believe the priorities of Pro-Home are twofold. First and foremost, we must aggressively advertise insofar as being able to effectively communicate with the public our presence and what services we can provide to them. Our services are delivered to the public at little to no cost. During these trying financial times where foreclosures and job loss continue to be at the forefront of all of our minds, organizations like Pro-Home are more heavily relied upon.
Secondly, because demand for our services is higher, we must maintain our efforts of aggressively seeking new donors so that Pro-Home can continue the great work we do in the community. While Pro-Home receives a combination of state and federal grants that subsidize our organization’s efforts, that should not minimize the need Pro-Home has for private sponsorship.
Pro-Home has developed great relationships with banks that have assisted us but the onus remains on us to expand our private-donor base. Because Pro-Home is a nonprofit, donations are deductible under the law.
PBN: I understand you have a background in community affairs and working with a state representative. Will you draw on some of that experience in your new position? And if so how?
PACHECO: Absolutely. Having spent four years [working for] the Massachusetts House as director of community and constituent affairs to the Dean of the House, Rep. David Flynn, I believe I bring a certain outlook to my job as executive director. I’ve always believed government can do good things when good people are in positions of authority. I believe we did accomplish some great things over my four years in the House.
Now transitioning to a nonprofit, I believe I bring those experiences to Pro-Home along with my contacts throughout all levels of government. As I said, we rely heavily on state and federal funding – my job now, in part, is to sell Pro-Home to various government agencies and let them know the great work we are doing, with their help, in improving our constituents’ lives and the communities they live in.
Additionally, some of our clients are people I worked with in my previous role. I really see this transition as an extension of what I’ve done. Coming from a family with more than 100 years of combined public service, I saw Pro-Home as a new way to give back.
PBN: In November, Massachusetts voters rejected a referendum to repeal the state’s affordable housing law known as Chapter 40B. How important was that vote to organizations like Pro-Home?
PACHECO: I think it was important for a few reasons. First, providing affordable housing is a way to allow people to stay living in Massachusetts, and equally important, in the communities they grew up in.
Secondly, I believe it’s important because no program is without faults. Chapter 40B, like any other program, needs to be revised and revisited over time to ensure its living up to its mission. With 40B being on a statewide ballot this past election, it allowed for a fresh look at the issue, which I believe has already infused new ideas and new energies into the issue.
Moving forward, organizations such as Pro-Home need to be able to maintain that new energy and translate that into better results and more participation so that we can continue to improve our communities.
PBN: Your organization runs a host of programs for homebuyers. But if a homebuyer asked you for your No. 1 suggestion, what would you say?
PACHECO: Be prepared, know the laws. Pro-Home is presently working toward offering seminars on the Fair Housing Law. An informed consumer is the best consumer. At Pro-Home we try and educate our clients with the facts necessary to make responsible decisions when it comes to housing and finances.
The next round of seminars we will be hosting are FDIC-based Money Smart seminars, which are free to participants. Pre-registration is required. For more information, we encourage interested parties to call us at (508) 821-2514 or visit our website at www.ProHomeInc.org.
