COLUMBUS — NeighborWorks Northeast Nebraska celebrated National NeighborWorks Week and National Homeownership Month with its second annual NeighborWorks Luncheon Tuesday.

More than 100 members and partners attended the event to recognize the local and district achievements of the single-family housing development organization. NeighborWorks focuses on home ownership promotion, real estate development and housing rehabilitation in its nine-county service area.

NeighborWorks began its affordable housing development effort in 1994. Since then 410 houses have been developed with a total real-estate value of $31.5 million. The group also has provided nearly $5 million in down-payment and closing cost assistance in the form of 0 percent interest deferred loans.

Guest speaker K.C. Belitz, Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce president, highlighted the significant contributions the group has made during the three years it has been in Columbus.

During that time NeighborWorks has invested $900,000 in improving housing and the efforts have resulted in $7 million in home sales, $5.7 million in mortgages and added $8 million to the Platte County valuation.

The most prominent manifestation of the groups efforts has been the Bradshaw Place new neighborhood initiative. All 43 lots of the 15-acre neighborhood located in the area of 19th Street and 48th Avenue have been sold, turning a parcel of land valued at $255,000 into a $7.4 million development when it is completed.

On behalf of the chamber, the city and the business community Belitz thanked NeighborWorks for its partnership and contributions to the Columbus area.

The community has been impressed with the impact NeighborWorks has had during the past three years, he said.

“We are pleased to be a partner,” Belitz said, “and we look forward to continuing that partnership in the years to come.”

Roger Nadrchal, area NeighborWorks executive director, said successfully providing opportunities for people to become homeowners requires a lot of partnering to help the group do what it does on a daily basis.

During the celebration, NeighborWorks presented the Partnership Award to the New Neighborhood Initiative Housing Task Force for its help developing Bradshaw Place subdivision, the Housing Partnership Award to the City of Schuyler and Schuyler Community Schools and the Housing Advocate Award to Kem Cavanah, director of the Schuyler Development Co.

John Santner, district director for NeighborWorks America, said despite the economic downturn NeighborWorks has helped 16,000 people become new homeowners.

Santner said the local group is a top tier program and NeighborWorks has been pleased with the work conducted locally.

“Columbus initiated the invitation and (they) took on that call,” he said. The community-based organization has provided “the ability for the community to make itself better. You know the issues you face and the solutions reside here, not outside the community.”

Joe Ferguson, president of the area board of directors, said while strides have been made, “we are just getting started here.”

“We really feel like we have a lot of work to do across northeast Nebraska,” Ferguson said, and look forward to even greater accomplishments in the coming years.