Robyn and Ron Long will spend Christmas in their new Redmond home Housing Works announced today. As of December 19th, the Longs became proud homeowners for the first time in their lives and they are moving in today.
From Public Housing to Homeowners!
In February of 2002, the Longs were living in public housing but dreamed of owning their own home. Housing Works offered them a way to fulfill that dream through the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program.
The FSS program assists households in public housing or receiving rental assistance in establishing and achieving their personal goals. The program manager mentors families by helping them establish a personal success plan. They are then directed to various community resources and education opportunities that can provide them with the skills that promote long-term economic independence.
The Long’s goals were to pay down their debt, improve their credit scores, finish school, and purchase a home. Through the FSS program, they steadily increased their job stability and income working full-time jobs while going to school. They continue to complete classes at Central Oregon Community College and Robyn is close to receiving her Massage Therapist License.
Making Choices Was a Key to Success
With the increases in their income, they began saving money. The Longs worked with Housing Works to develop a spending plan and make choices about where they were going to spend their money. Robyn purchased a bike to ride back and forth to work in order to conserve fuel. Ron cut back on smoking. They both quit buying coffee at the coffee shops and began making their own. In addition, as part of the program, money based on their increasing incomes was set aside in a special savings account at Housing Works.
In August of 2007, Housing Works offered Robyn and Ron the opportunity to start an Individual Development Account (IDA). An IDA is an innovative 3-to-1 matched savings program to help hard working Oregonians gain greater financial security by leveraging their savings. IDA program participants can save money for buying a home, starting a small business, getting more education, fixing their home or purchasing adaptive equipment.
The Longs stuck to their spending plan and it paid off. They were able to save $1,100 in fifteen months. CASA of Oregon, the administrator of the IDA collaborative, matched the Long’s account with $3,300, for a total of $4,400.
In August of 2008, Robyn and Ron were nearing their goal of homeownership. They used money from their special FSS savings account to settle their delinquent bills and paid off the majority of their debt. This increased their credit scores significantly. They then completed a home buying class and a series of financial literacy classes.
Home in Time for Christmas
In December, it all came together. Housing Works offered to sell them a single family public housing unit the Longs had lived next door to for the past 6 years. They jumped at the chance. Using their IDA money to pay for their closing costs, the Longs obtained financing through Bank of the Cascades using the Rural Development Guarantee Loan program.
“Staying focused on our goals and becoming homeowners was made so much easier because we were working with people that really cared about us!” said Robyn Long when asked about the help she had received from Housing Works.
Through the Family Self-Sufficiency Program, Robyn and Ron have learned to set goals for themselves. They stayed focused on those goals, working hard to accomplish them. With the help of their escrow savings, IDA savings, Bank of the Cascades and Rural Development, the Longs are moving into their new home for Christmas.
Housing Works FSS program currently serves over 50 Housing Choice Voucher holders and public housing clients. To date over 100 families have completed the FSS program. Like the Longs, many families graduate successfully and make the transition from public assistance to self-sufficiency including purchasing new homes or starting their own small businesses. Creative thinking and innovative partnerships are continuously explored to establish more affordable housing solutions.
Housing Works serves over 1,600 households throughout Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook counties. With a mission to ‘foster dignity through housing’, the organization addresses a continuum of housing needs of lower income households and vulnerable citizens, such as seniors and the disabled. In addition, Housing Works offers a rental assistance program which serves almost 1,100 households. This program represents housing assistance payments of over $6 million annually to the region’s landlords.
