Preparing Families for Homeownership- Homebuyer Readiness Program
When families are disqualified from the homeowner selection process, it is a setback but not the end of their dream of owning a Habitat home.
Since Habitat introduced the Homebuyer Readiness Program (HRP) earlier this year, more than 300 families have attended three new workshops that address the biggest problem areas causing disqualifications from the Habitat program, including: high debt, bad credit and poor money management.
“Families are becoming more aware of the issues that they never thought about before and it is empowering them to take more control,” says Lydia Lopez, program consultant.
Many families have very little knowledge of how to change their credit scores, spending habits and debt. The HRP workshops give them the information they need to change their financial situation and help get them on the right path to setting realistic goals, like budgeting, saving and on-time bill payment. One-on-one credit counseling is also available to families.
Rather than dwelling on past problems and missteps, the workshops give families tools and resources to make positive changes that will help them attain the home of their dreams. “We try to keep focused on the future and about moving forward,” says Lopez.
“I made many mistakes in the past because I did not know anything about credit.”
