Next Step Network Inc

The Next Step Network has joined Kentucky Gives Day to raise funds that will support the work of their network, whose mission is to put sustainable homeownership within reach of everyone, while transforming the manufactured housing industry one home at a time.

Next Step is a national nonprofit home-based in Louisville, KY. We are committed to building a value chain where factory-built housing companies work with nonprofit affordable housing providers to create more opportunities for lower-income Americans to purchase good, quality homes with fair loans and comprehensive homebuyer education.

To date, the Next Step Network has supported 149 families to purchase homes that will save a collective $4.3 million in utility bills and $13.7 million in interest over 30 years, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 10,000 tons.

Mary Brashear is one of those homeowners, and this is her story:

After 42 years, Mary Brashear’s aging mobile home had seen better days. Due to the rising cost of electricity and failing condition of the home, the elderly widow was spending more than half her fixed income on utilities. Mary was becoming desperate when she contacted HOMES, a Next Step Network Member affiliate in Kentucky. HOMES qualified Mary for a special grant program and financing to make replacing Mary’s home with a new ENERGY STAR home affordable even on Mary’s fixed income. Her utility and home payments are less than before, and she has a preserved asset and more cash flow. Mary made the best financial choice with the support of a committed organization following the Next Step System.

But Mary’s story is just one of many, and Next Step is just getting started.

“We can all make a difference in the lives of low-income families living in homes that are not safe, warm or beneficial to their quality of life,” said Stacey Epperson, President and CEO at Next Step. “Next Step is committed to growing its network of nonprofits to support more families nationwide to buy quality, energy-efficient homes with fair loans.”

Over 10 years, Next Step will scale its impact, expanding the Network to 220 nonprofits that will support 11,887 families to purchase Next Step Homes. These homes are projected to save homeowners more than $333 million in energy costs and $1 billion in interest over 30 years, while reducing more than 800,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.