Housing and Neighborhood Development Services

What Housing and Neighborhood Development Services does

Housing and Neighborhood Development Services, Inc. (HANDS) is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit community development corporation founded in 1986 and headquartered at 15 South Essex Avenue in Orange, New Jersey. The organization's mission is to engage residents to create neighborhoods of choice in Orange, East Orange, and surrounding Essex County communities through a wraparound model combining affordable real estate development, housing preservation, economic empowerment, and community leadership programming. HANDS has redeveloped over 500 properties since inception and currently owns and manages 13 buildings comprising 46 commercial spaces and 19 residential units (65 total affordable rentals), serving tenants including restaurants, galleries, a food pantry, community theater, wellness businesses, and a shared commercial kitchen.

Core programs span three pillars: Safe Housing (Home Improvement Program grants up to $15,000, free lead abatement for qualified Essex County residents in pre-1978 homes, and property management), Economic Opportunity (the Wealth Building Academy offering financial literacy workshops in partnership with Citizens, Columbia, and Santander banks; the Sustain & Thrive Small Business Support Program delivering $8,000 grants and 1:1 coaching via Rising Tide Capital; and HANDS On Business quarterly networking), and Community Leadership (annual Community Leadership Awards now in its 25th+ year and Entrepreneur Day events with Orange Public Schools). In FY 2025 HANDS reported reaching more than 4,500 residents, delivering over $200,000 in direct grants, and generating approximately $1.2 million in local economic impact in Essex County.

HANDS is governed by a volunteer board chaired by Steven Gomez (VP at Citizens Bank) and operates with a lean 7-person staff led by Interim Executive Director Lisa Boyd and CFO Tesha Kelly. Revenue is generated through a mix of rental income from the owned portfolio, foundation and government grants (TD Charitable Foundation, Regional Foundation, NJDCA, HUD, Capital One, Prudential, Flagstar, BNY Mellon, PSEG), individual donations, and pass-through program grants. The organization holds chartered membership in NeighborWorks America and was awarded $250,000 (TD Charitable, 2023), $375,000 (Regional Foundation, 2024), and $50,000 (Provident Financial, March 2025) to support affordable housing preservation, neighborhood planning, and community development operations.

Name

Housing and Neighborhood Development Services

Legal name

Housing and Neighborhood Development Services, Inc.

Website

https://handsinc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Housing and Neighborhood Development Services (HANDS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1986 that revitalizes neighborhoods in Orange, East Orange, and Essex County, NJ through affordable housing development, home repair grants, lead remediation, small business coaching, and financial literacy programs for low- and moderate-income residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development and Affordable Housing Services

NAICS

Other Community Housing Services (624229), Services to Buildings and Dwellings (5617), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGALAC

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Enterprises & Impact Organizations

SECONDARYBPAIANAA

Public & Affordable Housing Programs (Subsidies, Vouchers, Public Housing)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Housing, Urban Planning & Community Development

SECONDARYFSALAKAO

Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization Housing Programs

Financial & Insurance/Mortgage & Housing Finance/Housing Finance Agencies & Government-Sponsored Housing Programs

Keywords

• Community development services
• Affordable housing programs
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Small business support
• Financial literacy workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Orange

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Rental Income: HANDS generates rental income from 65 affordable residential and commercial units across 13 buildings. Commercial tenants include galleries, restaurants, wellness businesses, a food pantry, community theater, and shared commercial kitchen. Residential units serve low- and moderate-income families.
2. Donations and Grants: As a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, HANDS relies on donations from individuals and grants from foundations, government agencies, and corporate sponsors. The organization was awarded $250,000 from TD Charitable Foundation (2023) and $375,000 from the Regional Foundation (2024).
3. Home Improvement Program Grants: HANDS provides grants up to $15,000 to eligible homeowners for home repairs. Program has distributed $418,000 in grants to 40 households.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Housing and Neighborhood Development Services (HANDS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops and manages affordable housing and commercial space across 13 buildings in Orange and East Orange, NJ, while delivering neighborhood revitalization programs. Its core offerings include safe affordable rental housing, Home Improvement Program grants up to $15,000 for owner-occupants, free Lead Remediation services for pre-1978 homes, small business coaching with $8,000 grants, and financial literacy workshops through the Wealth Building Academy. Programs are delivered directly to low- and moderate-income residents, small business owners, and families in Greater Orange / Essex County.

Product overview

HANDS operates as a community development nonprofit offering a portfolio of housing and economic empowerment programs. Its core housing offerings include Safe Housing (affordable residential and commercial rentals), the Home Improvement Program (grants up to $15,000 for home repairs), and a Lead Remediation Program (free lead abatement services). On the economic opportunity side, HANDS provides the Wealth Building Academy (financial literacy workshops), the Sustain & Thrive Small Business Support Program (business coaching with $8,000 grants), and HANDS On Business (quarterly networking meetings). These programs work together to create thriving neighborhoods through safe housing access, wealth building, and small business support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Safe Housing

Quantifiable outcome

• 4500+ residents served in FY 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Rising Tide CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Partnership to deliver the Sustain & Thrive Small Business Support Program, providing $8,000 grants and 1:1 professional business coaching to local entrepreneurs. Rising Tide Capital's Community Business Academy is delivered through HANDS. The first RTC office outside Jersey City was established at HANDS.
• NeighborWorks AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1986HANDS is a chartered member of NeighborWorks America, a network of community development organizations. NeighborWorks provides unrestricted funding support that allows HANDS to run programs and access training through the Virtual Training Institute. HANDS participates in NeighborWorks America Week annually.
• Greater Newark Enterprises Corporation (GNEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Development Financial Institution (CDFI) providing capital and technical assistance to underserved communities. GNEC offers microloans up to $100,000 and collaborates with HANDS on small business support. Executive Director Victor Salama serves as Community Leadership Award honoree.
• Essex Community Land TrustmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to offer HUD-certified homebuyer training, making participants eligible for down payment assistance programs up to $15,000.
• Orange Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner since 2014, collaborating on Parent University financial workshops, Entrepreneur Day events, and student entrepreneurship programs. Community Engagement Officer Barry Devone serves as key connector.
• Garden State KitchenmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSocial enterprise tenant occupying HANDS property; provides shared commercial kitchen space that has launched hundreds of small food-based businesses, creating a pipeline of future HANDS commercial tenants.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National CDFI supporting place-based community development in distressed urban and rural markets. Comparable to HANDS as a funder, technical assistance provider, and intermediary for community development corporations, though operating at vastly greater scale across hundreds of local sites.
• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit developer and investor in affordable housing and community development. Operates a comparable integrated housing-plus-services model with CDFI capital, policy advocacy, and on-the-ground local partners — a scaled-up analogue of HANDS' integrated approach.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Global nonprofit affordable housing developer and homeownership provider. Shares HANDS' affordable housing mission and volunteer/donor-driven funding model, but operates at vastly greater scale and with a narrower housing-only (rather than integrated) programmatic focus.

Others

• NeighborWorks America: National network of 250+ community development organizations of which HANDS is a chartered member. Not a competitor but a strategic parent network providing training, funding, and shared infrastructure; comparable as a coordinating body for the type of work HANDS does.

Direct peers

• Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation (CHLDC): Brooklyn-based CDC combining affordable housing development, small business support, workforce training, and community organizing. One of the closest direct analogues to HANDS — same integrated place-based model, similar scale of buildings and programs, urban Northeast context.
• Abyssinian Development Corporation (ADC): Harlem-based faith-rooted CDC that develops and manages mixed-use affordable housing, commercial space, and community programs. Comparable to HANDS in mission (community-led revitalization), mixed-use real estate model, and program breadth.
• Greater Newark Enterprises Corporation (GNEC): Newark-based CDFI providing microloans, technical assistance, and small business support. Listed as a HANDS partner; directly comparable as a fellow Newark-area mission-driven lender and economic development intermediary serving similar Essex County small business and resident populations.
• The Resurrection Project: Chicago-area faith-rooted community development organization combining affordable housing, economic empowerment, and immigrant integration. Directly comparable integrated model and similar mix of real estate development plus wraparound community programs.
• Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council: Brooklyn-based community development corporation operating affordable housing, senior services, early childhood education, and youth programs. Highly comparable to HANDS as a multi-program urban CDC with mixed-use real estate and a long-tenured local presence.

Regional players

• New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC): Newark-headquartered CDFI providing financing for affordable housing, community facilities, and small businesses across New Jersey. Direct regional peer to HANDS in mission and geography, offering capital that complements HANDS' development pipeline.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HANDS_Inc
• Facebookfacebook.com/HANDS.Inc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/housing-and-neighborhood-development-services-hands-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Housing and Neighborhood Development Services