CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland’s Home Team – the Cleveland Cavaliers and Fannie Mae Foundation – today teamed up with the Cleveland Housing Network (CHN) to rehabilitate a house in the Glenville Neighborhood as part of the Home Team’s mission to create affordable housing opportunities for Cleveland residents. Cavs players Chris Mihm, Trajan Langdon, Chucky Brown, Anthony Johnson and Head Coach Randy Wittman were joined by Cleveland Rocker Merlakia Jones, Cavs staff and Fannie Mae Foundation volunteers in the landscaping and painting of a house on Phillips Street. New homeowner Erica Frazier and her children were on hand to meet the Cavs and volunteers.

During the 2000-01 season, Fannie Mae Foundation and Cavs volunteers will assist with the rehabilitation of 40 homes in Cleveland neighborhoods. All of the homes will be sold to low- and moderate-income families with a portion of the proceeds placed in a revolving loan fund to provide funding for additional homes. The CHN is managing this season’s rehabilitation efforts with a $100,000 grant from the Foundation and $15,000 raised by the Cavs.
“Through our ‘Home Team’ partnership with the Fannie Mae Foundation and the Cleveland Housing Network, we are committed to revitalizing our city’s neighborhoods and making the dream of homeownership come true for many Clevelanders,” said Cavs President Jim Boland.
Since the beginning of the Home Team partnership in 1993 between the Fannie Mae Foundation and the Cavaliers, the Home Team has contributed a total of $914,980 ($805,000 from the Foundation and $109,980 raised by the Cavs) towards the development of 130 homes in Cleveland neighborhoods.

“The mission of the ‘Home Team’ program is to help revitalize Cleveland’s inner-cityneighborhoods and provide free home-buying information to help all residents achieve homeownership,” said Stacey H. Davis, president and CEO of the Fannie Mae Foundation. “The Fannie Mae Foundation is dedicated to transforming communities across America and creative partnerships with organizations like the Cavaliers and the Cleveland Housing Network will help us achieve our goal.”

The Home Team program, in its eight season, is a partnership between Fannie Mae Foundation and the National Basketball Association with the goal of revitalizing local neighborhoods and providing free home-buying information to help Americans achieve their dream of homeownership. In addition to the Cavs, Home Team partner NBA teams include the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Seattle SuperSonics and
Washington Wizards.

The Cleveland Housing Network’s purpose is to develop affordable housing options for low and moderate-income families in economically viable neighborhoods. CHN is an umbrella organization comprised of 17-neighborhood housing and development organizations located throughout the City of Cleveland. Please visit www.chnnet.com for more information.

“With the longstanding support and resources from our Home Team partnership with the Fannie Mae Foundation and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Cleveland Housing Network continues to create remarkable homeownership opportunities for Cleveland families,” said Pat Kenney, CEO of the Cleveland Housing Network.

The Fannie Mae Foundation creates affordable homeownership and housing opportunities through innovative partnerships and initiatives that build healthy, vibrant communities across the United States. The Foundation is specially committed to improving the quality of life for the people of its hometown, Washington, D.C., and to enhancing the livability of the city's neighborhoods. The Foundation, a private nonprofit organization supported solely by Fannie Mae, has regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Pasadena and Philadelphia. For more information on the Fannie Mae Foundation, please call Tony Tijerino at 202.274.8064 or visit www.fanniemaefoundation.org.