Meet Our President
Delores Allen
WORDS FROM THE FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT
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I’ve always had a mind to work and always enjoyed learning. I’ve acquired different careers over many years while working in Corporate America. After leaving Corporate America, working more than 13 years in the non-profit industry and a more grass roots community environment, I became more aware of the wealth disparities in African American underserved communities. I began to identify with the fact that I wasn’t so privileged growing up as I watched family members live paycheck to paycheck and realized that I was sidetracked thinking I had it made with my borrowing and spending power to acquire what I want when I want. When my borrowing and spending power exceeded my earning power, I had to make some serious changes. To make these changes, I had to alter my behavior and thinking about my self-worth.
Approximately one half million of Chicago Illinois residents have an income below poverty level and live in underserved communities. These individuals and families are often faced with difficulty finding quality affordable housing, affordable products and services through financial and lending institutions and often live in communities where more dollars go out than are channeled in to provide safe and healthy resources. When families live in these conditions from generation to generation, they start to believe that this is a normal way of living and the cycle is never broken.
To break the cycle of wealth disparities in underserved communities, there must be a strategic and comprehensive approach to providing methods that create awareness of values and impart wisdom to encourage better decision making.
Center for Housing Education and Financial Fitness (CHEFF) provides education for homeownership, financial management and entrepreneurship with more than just the practical fundamentals to achieve success in the areas of wealth building but also with the approach to help one believe that these areas of success are reachable and attainable when you value your self-worth.
Through Collaboration with partners and other stakeholders who believe education with the approach of self-worth awareness is key and who also provide access to other resources to help combat wealth disparities, CHEFF envisions underserved communities accelerating to become stronger and healthier environments to live and build wealth for generations to come.
Career History:
Founder and President – Center For Housing Education and Financial Fitness (CHEFF)
Housing/Financial Counseling Program Administrator – 15 years
Mortgage Loan Officer – 8 years
Certifications:
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Non-Profit Management Certification - University of Chicago
NeighborWorks National Training Institute
Program Management
Financial Capability
Homeownership Education and Counseling
Foreclosure Intervention
Operation Hope
Entrepreneurial Training Program