On Thursday Nov. 29, Hudson River Housing hosted a “Home Ownership Reunion” at the newly renovated NeighborWorks Home Ownership Center of Dutchess County on Mill Street in Poughkeepsie. Clients who have purchased homes in the area gathered together to celebrate their successful experiences and to give feedback to the staff about the program.
The Home Ownership Center provides low-to-moderate income families service and training toward purchasing, rehabilitating, insuring and maintaining a home. Each participate is required to fill out an enrollment form and submit evidence supporting income eligibility – household income cannot exceed 80 percent of the area median income for Dutchess County.
The program also provides customer counseling and education in the process of owning a home.
Mary F. Linge, director of home ownership and education, says she “loves it – it’s too much fun helping people buy homes. We want to help and educate. If someone buys a home, we will help them during the whole process,” she said.
“We hope to expand the program to everyone so that everyone can get an education about home owning,” said Francisca Castellanos, housing counselor, who is working with nearly 100 clients.
The Home Club, led by Linge and Castellanos, is an educational program offering six different courses, each an hour-and-a-half, concentrating on specific areas of home ownership. Guest speakers are invited to the sessions to share their experience with the students, said Castellanos.
The “HomeOwnership Reunion” welcomed clients with a food buffet, household gifts, such as a tape measure, calculator, notepad and a magnet, and a raffle ticket for a $50 gift certificate to The Mill House Panda.
The staff and the new homeowners each spoke about their experience with the program. Many had smiles on their faces and a positive reaction.
Castellanos said she had her first success story from a client, Karen Milton, from Thompson Street in Poughkeepsie. Milton was excited to tell the gathering of her recent purchase.
“It’s exciting! I have been a homeowner for 72 hours now,” said Milton.
“It feels good to have a foundation,” said Robert Mallory of Garden Street, who was recently elected as councilman for the 3rd Ward for the City of Poughkeepsie.
“I love the house, the area and we have a nice view,” said Krista Brown, homeowner for four years, who lives with her 19-year-old daughter on Garden Street. “The program has helped me understand the process of home owning.”
Community Development Specialist Elizabeth Celaya has worked in this position for five years. She has seen dramatic effects from the program and hopes to continue the positive outcome.
“Our goal is for everyone to buy a house,” said Celaya. “We want to bring more stability to the City of Poughkeepsie. We help anyone in Dutchess County find homes that are affordable.”
Toward the end of the event, a survey was handed to the homeowners focusing on the quality of their home, their neighborhood and the experiences with purchasing their home with the program.
“We are trying to get ideas – what is the owner’s preference, and what’s important and what is not,” said Ed Murphy, director of real estate development.
Between the eight homeowners who attended the reunion and completed a survey, 75 percent rated the quality of their home as “excellent” and 25 percent rated their home as “good.” Eighty-seven percent said they felt their neighborhood has improved, while 13 percent said their neighborhood “stayed the same.”
Hudson River Housing Executive Director Gail Webster, who has been with the program for 16 years, said it has been an exciting journey.
“It’s been thrilling, and honestly, just so cool,” Webster said. “I am so glad to see that you (home ownership clients) love your houses because this is what it is all about.”
For more information, contact, NeighborWorks Home Ownership Center of Dutchess County, 291 Mill St., Poughkeepsie, New York, 12601, or call 454-9288.