At the J.W. Couch Foundation, we champion initiatives that create lasting, meaningful change in the lives of those who need it most. One such initiative that deeply resonates with our mission is New Story, a pioneering nonprofit founded in 2014 that is rewriting the playbook on how the world addresses the global housing crisis. Rather than offering handouts, New Story empowers vulnerable families in Latin America to become first-time landowners and homeowners — unlocking dignity, stability, and generational wealth in the process.
A Crisis That Demands Innovation
The global housing crisis affects an estimated 1.6 billion people worldwide who live without adequate shelter. In Latin America, where approximately 80% of families cannot afford a home and 70% of the adult population remains unbanked, the barriers to housing are steep and deeply systemic. Available land is often priced at ten times what a low-income family can afford, and traditional paths to ownership can take more than a decade to navigate — if they're accessible at all. Many families have also been victims of fraudulent land schemes and predatory lending, making trust itself a barrier to progress.
New Story looked at these challenges not as insurmountable obstacles but as opportunities for a fundamentally different approach.
A Market-Based Model Built on Dignity
What sets New Story apart is their belief that vulnerable families don't want charity — they want to participate in a housing market where they can afford the housing they need. Their three-step model is both innovative and deeply respectful of the families it serves.
First, New Story secures underused land and develops essential infrastructure — roads, power, water, and sanitation. Next, families make small, manageable monthly payments, earning legal title to their land within just 24 months — a process that traditionally takes more than 10 years. Finally, with land as collateral, families can build credit and qualify for home loans, enabling them to build or purchase a home.
This elegant progression — from land, to credit, to home — transforms families from being excluded by the market to being active participants in it. At their project in Ahualulco de Mercado, Mexico, 401 families are now on their path to homeownership, with 66.5% of titles held by women — more than double Mexico's national average. In 2025 alone, New Story has kicked off the development of six new master-planned, mixed-use neighborhoods, unlocking the path for 2,000 new families to become first-time landowners, with a goal of reaching 10,000 families by 2027.
The Power of Storytelling
At the J.W. Couch Foundation, we know that storytelling is one of the most powerful tools for driving lasting change — and New Story understands this too. That's why we're proud to support their "Transforming Lives Through Story" video campaign with a $100,000 grant.
The grant will fund two critical projects. The first is a Bridge Round Video — a premium film featuring CEO Brett Hagler's vision for New Story's evolution, compelling data visualizations, family testimonials, and thought leader validation. This film will serve as a centerpiece in New Story's effort to secure the final $15 million in philanthropic funding needed for long-term organizational sustainability.
The second project is the "Hogar en Pasos" (Home in Steps) Family Education Series — a suite of Spanish-language videos designed to build trust and understanding among the very families New Story serves. Featuring real participants sharing their transformations, simple animations explaining the path from land to credit to home, and validation from local government officials, the series addresses a critical trust gap in communities where families have historically been exploited by housing fraud. The educational modules cover everything from payment timelines and financial literacy to legal rights and the complete housing journey, all distributed through WhatsApp and community sessions — meeting families exactly where they are.
Research confirms that homeowners experience significantly lower rates of depression compared to renters. By telling these stories with care and authenticity, New Story can reach more families, build confidence in their program, and ultimately accelerate the path from housing insecurity to generational stability.
Impact That Speaks for Itself
The numbers behind New Story's work are remarkable. Their model gets families to land ownership five times faster than traditional methods. They've maintained a 100% portfolio repayment rate, and land values in their communities have doubled within three years. Since its founding, New Story has raised over $80 million, built thousands of homes, and directly impacted the lives of approximately 20,000 individuals across Haiti, El Salvador, Bolivia, and Mexico.
The organization graduated from Y Combinator, has been recognized four times by Fast Company as one of the World's Most Innovative Companies, and made global headlines when they built the world's first community of 3D-printed homes in Mexico.
Join Us in Supporting New Story
We invite you to learn more about New Story and the incredible work they're doing to make land and home ownership accessible to families who have been shut out of the housing market for generations. Your support can help ensure that more families have the opportunity to build the lives they deserve. Together, we can help turn vacant land into thriving communities — one family, one lot, one home at a time.
