CONCORD, N.H.— Jennifer Hopkins of the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund has joined the ROC USA Board of Directors.
Hopkins fills the seat vacated by Community Loan Fund President Juliana Eades, who retired June 30 after nearly 40 years as its only president.
Hopkins is the Director of Single Family Housing for the Community Loan Fund, where she runs the Welcome Home Loan program that finances fair, fixed-rate mortgage loans for manufactured homes in resident-owned communities and on their own land. The Single Family Housing program, which is unique to New Hampshire, has issued mortgages to more than 1,300 homeowners since its inception.
This program was recognized with the CFED Future of Economic Opportunity Award as well as the national NEXT Award for Opportunity Finance, a prestigious honor in the field of community development finance. Hopkins leads the Community Loan Fund’s single family housing team in ongoing program innovation, evaluation, and impact.
Before joining the Community Loan Fund, Hopkins worked as a lawyer and foundation program officer, where she oversaw a grant making portfolio supporting social change makers in economic justice, housing and community economic development. One of the programs the foundation provided grants to was ROC-NH, which was then headed up Paul Bradley, who went on to create ROC USA in 2008.
“I’m thrilled that Jen is joining the ROC USA Board,” Bradley said. “Creating a home loan program on par with mortgages for site-built homes has been a goal of ours for a long time, and Jen brings a wealth of expertise in that very area.”
“Everything I know about manufactured housing goes back to Paul. I knew when the opportunity came up for the Board seat that it would be a great fit with the work that I do,” Hopkins said.
“With single-family lending an essential part of the ROC USA strategic plan for long-term impact, fairness and affordability, Jen Hopkins brings tremendous expertise to the ROC USA board about fair, fixed-rate single-family mortgages for homeowners in ROCs,” Eades said.
Eades added, “As the leader of the Welcome Home Loans mortgage program, she brings all the learnings from 18 years, spanning two recessions, from making nearly 1,150 mortgages in NH ROCs for over $50 million with a 97 percent repayment rate. Her team, together with the ROC-NH organizers, are building a record of successful infill techniques toward the goal of helping every ROC get to full occupancy.”
“I’m looking forward to expanding single family mortgages across the country. This is good lending that could be done – and should be done – everywhere,” Hopkins said.
Hopkins was selected as a 2016-17 Homeownership Fellow by the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority. She is also a licensed mortgage loan originator in the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System.