Manna gave testimony at a public hearing on July 25 for the DC Department of Housing and Community Development. The hearing was to provide the public an opportunity to respond to the proposed FY2013 Consolidated Action Plan. This plan will guide the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) through most of 2013. This is Part 2 in a series of articles on the public hearing and Manna’s involvement. This article covers the testimony of Willamena Samuels, the director of Manna’s Homebuyers Club (HBC) for the past 15 years. This year, Manna's Homebuyers Club, which provides homebuyer education and financial literacy training, celebrated its 25th anniversary. Ms. Samuels thanked Director Michael Kelly (head of DHCD) for the partial funding for the Homebuyers Club. She noted what the program had accomplished: “The Homebuyers Club has helped to break the cycle of poverty and allowed families to live the American dream of homeownership through housing counseling and financial literacy education. In addition, it has helped to build confidence in potential owners through peer support, which has enabled them to achieve common and individual goals. Often this support has carried them through difficult times as they have become homeowners. As a result, the stability and quality of life improves neighborhoods through the hard work of committed, knowledgeable and financially stable new homeowners.”
HBC is a monthly, ongoing, peer support program which consists of single adults, couples and senior citizens with incomes ranging from $10,000 to $70,000. The curriculum covers topics such as: working with a budget, establishing good credit and maintaining it, building savings for a down payment, applying for down payment assistance, understanding the home purchase process, and being an asset to your community.
Each HBC member participates in a one-on-one counseling session, as well as group counseling workshops which are held in the evening in an interactive seminar setting. Clients who primarily attend group sessions typically receive between upwards of 10 hours of counseling services, depending on the type of service. This includes group sessions and individual counseling.
HBC currently has 253 people enrolled in the Homebuyers Club, 90 of whom joined since the beginning of the year. Ms. Samuels noted, “The interest in affordable homeownership and people who are putting in the hard work to get their finances in order is huge and continuing to grow - and homebuyers education works. No matter your income, with the right education, first-time homebuyer resources such as the Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP), and good fixed-rate mortgages, you can be a successful homeowner.” Manna has sold over 1,000 homes in the last 30 years, with only a 2% foreclosure rate and zero foreclosures in the last 8 years.
To learn more about Manna’s programs for homebuyers, contact 202-832-1845 extension 222.
No comments:
Post a Comment