Self-Help

Self-Help’s mission is to create and protect ownership and economic opportunity for all, especially people of color, women, rural residents and low-wealth families and communities. Self-Help is a leading non-profit financial institution headquartered in Durham, NC. As a national community development organization, they have more than 188,000 members and delivered $11 billion in financing to help over 198,000 people buy homes, start and build businesses, and strengthen community resources, across the United States. Self-Help Credit Union now has 35 branches, $1.5 billion in assets, and serves over 92,500 members through branches and offices in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Their sister credit union, Self-Help Federal Credit Union, has over $1.7 billion in assets and serves more than 95,000 members through 36 branches in California, Illinois, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Self-Help pursues their mission by providing responsible financial services, lending to small businesses and nonprofits, developing real estate and promoting fair financial practices. While the work benefits communities of all kinds, they focus on those who may be underserved by conventional lenders, including people of color, women, rural residents and low-wealth families and communities.

Self-Help also provides a wide variety of lending products to individuals and organizations, as well as a wide array of credit union services for consumers. Affordable housing development is one of the programs Self-Help offers, and in Orange County they have worked as a founding partner of the Northside Neighborhood Initiative, a broad based partnership to help control the dirt in Northside, have neighbors determine the future of properties, and preserve the future of this diverse, family-friendly neighborhood. In other communities across North Carolina, they have worked to develop affordable homeownership and multifamily rental opportunities. We also provide home mortgage lending and loans to affordable housing developers.

Questions? Whether you’re interested in learning more about Self-Help, advocating, or setting up an account with the Credit Union, visit www.self-help.org.