Larry Douglas has seen just about every financial profile imaginable, from resumes with poor credit scores to portfolios with a healthy number of assets.

As the Housing Program Manager at the nonprofit Chester Community Improvement Project, where he has worked for the last 18 years, Douglas helps those who walk through his door navigate the process of buying their first home.

“A lot of people fear that their credit is a barrier to owning a home,” said Douglas, a native of Philadelphia who lives in Delaware. “They have this fear of the unknown. I tell them to come sit down with me, that they’ll never get to where they’re trying to go if they don’t know where they’re currently at.

“You can’t get approved for a mortgage if you don’t apply for one.”

CCIP was founded in 1978 by a group of local community residents and ministers on the west side of Chester, along with a Lang Scholar from nearby Swarthmore College, to combat a dumpsite in the city of Chester.

Since then, CCIP has grown from a humble, grassroots organization to a community housing development organization with goals that include targeting housing rehabilitation and new construction, supported by comprehensive pre- and post-purchase housing counseling and community education.

It also focuses on addressing workforce development and economic problems.

In almost four decades of operation, CCIP has increased the number of safe, decent, and affordable homes in the city of Chester, educated families, and assisted low- and moderate-income first-time homebuyers to successfully purchase a home in Chester or elsewhere in Delaware County.

To date, CCIP has acquired 101 vacant homes and renovated 94 vacant homes in targeted neighborhoods in Chester.

“Of course, everything varies from applicant to applicant, but for most, it takes them six months to a year (to own a first home),” said Douglas. “When I meet with my clients, the first thing we do is go over a budget and discuss their spending habits.”

In 2005, CCIP embarked on a venture called the East Gateway Triangle Neighborhood Initiative. The East Gateway neighborhood is the triangle bounded by East 24th Street to the north, Providence Avenue to the east, East 13th Street to the south, and Edgmont Avenue to the west.

The EGT neighborhood is strategically located between two major institutions making significant investments in Chester: Widener University and Crozer-Keystone Medical Center. The EGT is a tightknit community of 2,600 residents. Its traditional homes and retail, as well as the proximity to educational and medical institutions, make it an ideal community of choice for the city’s revitalization efforts.

Douglas helps not only Chester residents, but others throughout the county.

“It’s the people, their passion, that motivate me,” he said. “They want the truth and for you to be honest with them. They really appreciate how genuine we are at CCIP.

“People are out there trying to maintain, trying to get to the next level. But they’re often afraid to put one foot in front of the other. We give them the information they need, and let me know that, yes, you can own a home if you’re willing to sacrifice and do X, Y, and Z.”

Click here for more information on the Chester Community Improvement Project or to donate.