Building 60 affordable homes for families in need each year may not be the most glamorous work, but what our nonprofit lacks in glitz, we make up tenfold in meaning and purpose.
Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio & Guadalupe Valley gives first-time homebuyers earning 20%-80% of area median income in Bexar and Guadalupe counties the chance to purchase an affordable home — if they’re willing to help themselves. Homebuyers are required to invest “sweat equity” by building their homes and neighbors’ homes and attending 17 homebuyer readiness classes.
Unlike popular belief, we don’t just hand out the keys to homes like we’re Oprah.
As a family services associate, my job is to usher Habitat homebuyers through the process of purchasing a home with a 0% interest mortgage. Most homebuyers come to us with minimal financial skills, so we educate families about how credit works, break down mortgage basics and give homebuyers the tools needed to be successful.
Every single person who applies to Habitat is given a detailed personal roadmap to homeownership, even if they don’t initially qualify. In those instances, I encourage families to reapply — because I have stood in their shoes. Back in 2011, I applied four times to the Habitat program before I qualified.
The staff here at Habitat were very supportive and encouraging through it all. They sat with me and my husband and explained exactly what we had to do in order to qualify. Some of the things that we had to work on were my credit, our monthly income and learning to budget our finances a little better. I had a collection on my credit report, so we paid the collection off and started a savings account. My husband started to work a few hours of overtime in order to reach the income eligibility guidelines.
Once accepted into the program, we attended orientation, where we learned about the classes that we would be taking, from home maintenance and repair to property taxes and homeowners insurance. Each class gave us valuable insight into homeownership.
The next step was to start working on our 300 sweat equity hours. Sweat equity refers to the time and labor completed by homeowners. It is the largest requirement of our partnership with Habitat. In working on our sweat equity hours, we created meaningful interactions with other homeowners (who would become our neighbors), Habitat staff and volunteers. We also developed skills and knowledge from hands-on experience to gain an understanding of our home’s construction and maintenance.
Going through the program was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Habitat for Humanity has changed my life and the lives of my family in so many ways. We were able to run our household on one income due to the low monthly mortgage payment and no-interest mortgage loan, which allowed me to return to school and graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2018. I am a first-generation college graduate and now my children are following in my footsteps. I honestly believe that my dream of being a university graduate would not have been possible without Habitat for Humanity.
In 2022, I applied to Habitat again, but this time it wasn’t for a home — I applied for a role to serve others on their journey to homeownership. I love that it has brought me full circle. I remember the people who were there for me and feel blessed to be a part of the process. Each time a family qualifies for the program we celebrate by ringing a cowbell. Everyone in the office erupts in cheers. My heart swells knowing another family is ready for this life-changing opportunity and will benefit the way my family did.
Habitat prepared me for challenges by teaching me the nuances of owning a home and for that I am grateful. However, what I learned about community and serving others stays with me in a more profound way. I had never experienced such selflessness as I felt from the volunteers and sponsors who gave me a chance to become more financially stable. I’m proud to be able to walk with families on a similar path, no red carpet needed.
