Rachael Long finds place at PORCH as community initiatives manager

The PORCH Initiative finds its community initiatives manager in the form of Rachael Long. In her new position, Long will help people interested in PORCH's homeownership program and connect them with partners in real estate and lending and find financial advisers for them.

Long has a real estate license, also an undergraduate degree in Mass Communication: Multimedia Journalism and a master's degree in Public Administration from Southeast Missouri State University. Long said she's been involved with PORCH for about six months before her recent job position. She started assisting with the institution's needs and developing the housing committee.

"The history is just that I help with, kind of getting the housing committee going and strengthening the work that they were doing in kind of a facilitation role," Long said.

She said the interest in getting involved with the PORCH Initiative came from her years living in Cape Girardeau and seeing South Cape Girardeau while she grew up.

"I've been down through South Cape a lot growing up and had friends who lived there," Long said. "I guess just knowing that there were needs to be met and that there was a group of people who are passionate about improving homeownership. That's been important to me."