Non-profit helps Connecticut residents overcome barriers to homeownership
Winter might be slowly coming to an end, and that will mean the start of the usually busy spring house-hunting season.
But for many people, buying a house seems out of reach in this tough market. When costs become a challenge, there is a program in Hartford that prospective homeowners can turn to.
Venitia Green had been facing rising rents, but had financial concerns about becoming a first-time homebuyer, saying she initially thought it would be “impossible.
That’s when she turned to NACA – the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America.
“We teach people, give them the tools, make them become ready to be homeowners,” said Michelle Mitchell, a NACA mortgage counselor.
People can take a free homebuyer workshop with NACA. Then NACA offers a below-market interest rate, no down payment, no closing costs, and people don’t need perfect credit.
“I think one of the biggest barriers for a lot of people is money. There’s a fear that they’ll never be able to become homeowners because they don’t have the money,” Mitchell said.
Green bought her home about eight months ago and now pays about $2,000 a month for a three-bedroom home for her, her daughter, and her son.
“For persons that are out there that still has some uncertainty, like can, like keep asking this if can they do it? Yes, you can do it,” Green said.
NACA focuses on low to moderate-income families around the state.
The group is also hosting a homeownership event in Hartford in a couple of months.
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