Neighborhood Housing Services of Hamilton Inc., which provides homeownership and foreclosure prevention counseling services to all of Butler County, needs the community’s help to meet a fundraising challenge.

In celebration of the local nonprofit housing group’s 20th anniversary, the agency has been challenged to raise $20,000 for a matching grant, said Lorie DiStaola, executive director. If Neighborhood Housing can raise that amount by the end of this month, its parent organization NeighborWorks America will match the contributions to double the money.

That leaves about two weeks to meet the goal.

Neighborhood Housing celebrated its 20th anniversary in June 2012. Almost half the donations have been raised since the challenge was issued in December, DiStaola said.

“We’re on track, but it is a very aggressive goal within a short time,” she said.

Any individual, business or group can make a donation of any amount, she said. To do so, contact Neighborhood Housing at 513-737-9301. Donations are tax deductible.

The money will go to help with continued funding of the homeownership, foreclosure prevention and real estate development programs, she said.

Neighborhood Housing’s purpose is to provide safe, decent and affordable housing. The U.S. HUD-certified agency provides services, including down payment and closing cost assistance, home rehabilitation loans, financing for first-time homebuyers, homebuyer education, and developing and managing affordable properties for purchase and rent.

In the past two years, the nonprofit started doing rental housing development projects for the first time. It owns 21 rental housing units, a combination of single family and multifamily housing.

Foreclosure prevention services are also provided in Warren County.

During the group’s 20-year history, it has helped 2,178 homebuyers attain homeownership that generated $132,407,781 in permanent financing, the value of loans issued in partnership with lenders to help people buy their first home, DiStaola said.

These are working families who’ve become homeowners, and may not have had the opportunity otherwise, she said.

“Our goal is to produce a successful homebuyer that can A, obtain it and B, maintain it,” she said.

Neighborhood Housing started in 1992 as a partner of the City of Hamilton and Hamilton Community Foundation. Its reach has since extended county-wide. About 10 years ago, it opened its own building at 100 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Hamilton.