Mrs. Reilly wanted to buy a house for her and her grandchildren, but faced multiple financial hurdles to homeownership. She was declined by three banks and was starting to feel hopeless. A year ago, Mrs. Reilly attended a Home Store pre-purchase homebuyer education class at the Urban League of Rochester, and within a week she submitted a housing counseling intake form to Sarah Simson, the Housing Counseling Program Manager. Mrs. Reilly attended a one-on-one counseling session with Sarah. After her meeting, Mrs. Reilly successfully secured lending and down payment assistance on a vacant City of Rochester property. In addition, she received $55,000 in grant funds to rehabilitate her house, through a new program offered by the State of New York Mortgage Agency (SONYMA) and the Greater Rochester Housing Partnership.
Mrs. Reilly closed on her home in February 2018. After extensive renovations and improvements, Mrs. Reilly and her family moved into their home in May 2018. Betty claims that her home is the best Mother’s day gift she could ever dream of receiving.
If you could also use some help in buying a home, contact your local Urban League today!
