SANTA FE, N.M., April 22, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Patience proved to be a key requirement in 30-year-old Javier Rodriguez's quest to own his home, but after working through the process over the past 2 ½ years, he finally was able to move into his first home on March 26.
Without the help of a $5,000 Homebuyer Equity Leverage Partnership (HELP) grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) and First National Bank of Santa Fe (FNBSF) to assist with the down payment, his wait likely would have been even longer.
"It's hard to save up a big sum of money like that. It would have taken me at least a year," said Mr. Rodriguez, who grew up in Santa Fe and is a bicycle mechanic for Bicycling Technologies International (BTI).
HELP grants assist income-qualified, first-time homebuyers with down payments and closing costs. In 2009, FHLB Dallas, through its members, awarded nearly $3.2 million in HELP and subsequent HELP II grants throughout its five-state District, including $174,000 in New Mexico. HELP II was a special, one-time allocation in 2009, outside of FHLB Dallas's normal Affordable Housing Program funds, because of overwhelming demand for the grants. Each HELP recipient is eligible to receive $5,000. The amount may be increased to $7,000 if a member financial institution or another mortgage lender contributes at least $350 toward costs associated with providing the mortgage to the homeowner.
FNBSF has distributed about $200,000 in HELP grants in the four years it was worked with the FHLB Dallas HELP program, according to FNBSF Vice President Betty Vega. FNBSF partners with Homewise to distribute many of the grants. Homewise is a private, nonprofit Santa Fe-based agency that promotes affordable homeownership for low- to moderate-income residents through financial counseling and educational classes.
Mr. Rodriguez opted to work with Homewise after a friend had a good experience with the program. "It seemed like a good way for me to purchase a home," he said.
The time required to go through the Homewise program varies. In Mr. Rodriguez's case, he had to establish credit and save money before making the purchase.
Tina Knaut, home purchase director and vice president of lending at Homewise, says her clients received a total of $105,000 in HELP grant money during its fiscal year ending in April 2010. Homewise is able to help two homebuyers a month with HELP grants through its partnership with FNBSF.
Mr. Rodriguez's 1,500-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath, home is just five minutes from his parents' home in Santa Fe. That should prove to be convenient in more ways than one. "My yard right now is nothing but dirt, but my parents own a landscaping company, and they're going to landscape the yard for me," he said.
For more information about FHLB Dallas programs, contact the Corporate Communications Department at 214.441.8445.
About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 12 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $65.1 billion as of December 31, 2009, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to more than 900 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas. For more information, visit the FHLB Dallas web site at fhlb.com.
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