Neighborhood Housing Services of Richmond has quietly closed after 40 years of promoting neighborhood improvement and helping people purchase their first home.

A former affiliate of Neighborworks America, the last NHS act was to sell its headquarters at 2712 Chamberlayne Ave. this summer to a private developer.

Former board members told the Free Press that the organization never recovered from the disruption of the pandemic. Fundraising and government grants were no longer available, leaving the group unable to proceed.

The nonprofit lost its status as a charity earlier this year after it failed to file required financial statements with the IRS for three years in a row.

Born in 1982 with city support, NHS initially focused on sparking a revival of the Barton Heights community by providing loans, tools and other help to encourage renovation of homes. It also built new homes on vacant lots.

The group later expanded to other parts of the city and for years was the go-to place for first-time homebuyers seeking assistance.

Through Neighborworks America, the Richmond group had links to financial resources outside of Richmond, and at one point was able to help clients gain low-interest loans and purchase a home with only a $500 downpayment.