Laura Pimentel - First-Time Homeowner
As the nation recognized June as National Homeownership Month in 2011, new homeowners Laura Bowman Pimentel and her husband Wellington are now enjoying the home and community that both in years past feared they might never have been able to provide for their now two-year-old son Benjamin.
Having grown up in a small, insular town in the suburbs of Pennsylvania, Laura moved to the District of Columbia in 2001 before traveling to the Dominican Republic in 2003 as a Peace Corps volunteer. There she met Wellington, who had grown up in the socially rich but poor region of Azua in the southwestern Dominican Republic.
For Laura, their new home represents the realization of a dream after difficult moments of economic hardship that tested her faith in her ability to provide Benjamin with the type of childhood that she had wanted to give to him. For Wellington, a recently arrived immigrant who felt the acute burden of social isolation after moving with Laura from the Dominican Republic in 2005, their new home in the United States represents something he hadn’t actually ever imagined was possible.
“I feel a sense of satisfaction because my son has some of the things that I had growing up that for me seemed like the norm – simple things like my own backyard, my own room,” Laura says. “For my husband, to see his son have things that he never had, it’s even more satisfying for him.”
Laura and Wellington seized their chance at homeownership in 2009 given depressed housing prices and the extension of the federal housing tax credit. In search of a bilingual housing counseling agency, they enrolled in LEDC’s pre-purchase housing counseling program. Both worked to prepare for the responsibilities of homeownership, exploring how to obtain a mortgage loan, how their credit score could impact possible financing offers, as well as how to apply for DC’s Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP).
With the help of a $40,000, no-interest HPAP loan, Laura and Wellington purchased their first home last January, calling LEDC the “heart” of what can at times be a stressful but rewarding process.
“To have someone there every step of the way to tell you what to expect, to give you advice on how to do things, was really helpful,” Laura says.
Jose Ugarte - Homeowner Saved From Foreclosure
The day Jose Ugarte and his family ultimately saved themselves from foreclosure was the day they realized they had kept intact the experiences and memories that had made their first house feel like a home.
His son Marcelo, now 26, remembers painting the fireplace wall crimson red with his family when he was young. His daughter Natalie remembers her first sleepover with friends, her 15th birthday party in the backyard, and her high school graduation dinner. Calling Maryland home for 10 years, each member of the Ugarte family could see a little of themselves in their home in Silver Spring.
"This home is like a nest," Ugarte says. "Every person puts things here and there, with care and feeling, and it feels warm. You have your children below your wings, and you protect them."
As a self-employed contractor specializing in construction, Jose felt first-hand the devastating impact of the worsening economic crisis on the construction industry. As work became hard to come by, his ability to pay the mortgage was further eroded when his monthly payments increased per the terms of his variable interest rate home loan. Soon the Ugarte family received countless out-of-state offers by phone and mail to save their home. Most promised mortgage relief for the price of $5,000-$10,000.
Unable to pay, Jose attended a LEDC foreclosure housing counseling seminar and was invited to meet with a housing counselor at no cost. With the help of LEDC housing counselor Patricia Belbusti, Jose provided all the necessary documents to qualify for a trial modification under the federal Making Home Affordable Program. Committed to saving their home and staying united, the Ugarte family talked openly at the dinner table about the sacrifices they needed to make to pay their reduced payments on time. They agreed to cancel their home phone, cable, and internet services and sold one car.
Six months later, Jose qualified for a permanent modification of his home loan. Now, with a fixed interest rate and more reasonable mortgage payments, Jose and his wife Blanca are able to pay for Natalie to go to college.
"We see the future more brightly," Jose says. "It's like a weight has been lifted off our shoulders, and we have new opportunities.
Angel Ramirez - Homeowner Saved From Foreclosure
Just in the nick of time, Angel and Maria Gloria Ramirez will spend this Christmas in Hyattsville, Maryland with their children Macalez and Alex under one roof – at long last, free from the stresses and anguish of possible foreclosure.
Their world – for the last 18 months filled with 6 a.m. phone calls from their mortgage lender, multiple requests for updated financial paperwork, and stressful family sacrifices – is now happily filled with light-hearted jokes about holiday parties and new backyard adventures. With the help of the Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC), each member of the Ramirez family is slowly picking up the pieces – one by one.
"It’s marvelous to have our house," Macalez says. "We have a roof, somewhere to sleep, somewhere to shower and eat – we got everything we need."
For 12 years, Angel and Maria Gloria earned their keep and provided for their children by doing what they knew. Cooking and selling their favorite Salvadoran foods from a small mobile trailer, they made tacos, chicken, grilled meat, as well as popular, thick corn tortillas, also known as pupusas, for a growing Latino immigrant community in Prince George’s County.
Their dreams for the future, bright after the purchase of their first home in December 2003, faced a harsh reality six years later. When County officials confiscated the Ramirez’ trailer in 2009 for violating its ban on mobile food vending -- throwing Maria Gloria in jail for 14 hours -- the Ramirez family suffered a loss of income that left them on the cusp of foreclosure.
"During the first months, we had a small savings, so we paid," Angel says. "But after that, we had no way out. We were left with zero."
In May 2009, Angel contacted LEDC for help. With the guidance and support of LEDC housing counselor Patricia Belbusti, the Ramirez family diligently worked to make ends meet and qualify for mortgage relief. Fielding requests for financial documentation and working to submit modification packages under the federal foreclosure Making Home Affordable program, Patricia helped the family navigate continuous requests from their lender for 18 months, closely monitoring the progress of the case through the maze of the bureaucratic foreclosure modification process.
"When we arrived with the papers, Patricia never rejected us," Maria Gloria says. "She always took care of us – everyone at LEDC was really great."
In November, the Ramirez family qualified for a modification of their home loan, saving the house just in time for the holiday season. Angel has found new part-time employment at a restaurant in Wheaton, and Maria Gloria has received a new license to sell food from her trailer in Montgomery County. Macalez is attending college, and Alex – fondly remembered for helping to remind Angel to follow up with Patricia – is back enjoying his last months before he turns 18 next September.
"We’ve learned that, once you gotta pay stuff, don’t stop paying," Alex says. "Because then, you know, it gets more and more, the amount gets up and up – just pay everything on time."
Yolanda Green - First-Time Homeowner
Yolanda Green has spent her whole life giving back to the community, family and friends close to her. As a Southeast native, Yolanda has worked in the Washington DC area school system for five years, while caring for her sister’s children, ages 11 and eight, since their birth. In 2008 she set a goal to move out of her small apartment, so she could have more space for the kids. “I want my nieces to have memories that they can feel good about because my mom and dad never owned a home,” said Yolanda.
She found her dream home in December 2010. Yolanda drove by the house and around the neighborhood at various times, reviewed crime reports and took other steps to ensure this was an environment she wanted to live in. The prospective house was originally an investors property and they had renovated the whole interior. Green sought help from the Greater Washington Urban League (GWUL) to learn about its housing programs. “I heard about GWUL by searching online for housing programs. My search led me to the housing workshops at Lydia’s House. “A majority of the workshops were very informative. They provided information and skills I never would have thought about,” Yolanda say.
One of the issues with the house was the roofing, Yolanda said she worked with her GWUL loan processor to make sure that the roof was up to specs. Her dream came true in April 2011. The Deanwood area where she lives is surrounded by pools, shopping and recreational centers. “GWUL has been phenomenal. Everyone at the Urban League was really in my corner. I’m 100 percent satisfied with GWUL Housing staff’s knowledge. They made it a seamless process,” said Yolanda.
The detached Deanwood home features three bedrooms, two and a half baths and a nice yard. “Having a house makes me smile from ear to ear. I feel I have hit the homeowner’s jackpot!” Yolanda says. More importantly, she feels she has been a role model to inspire her family and coworkers to own not rent a home. She is happy to tell her story to anyone who will listen.
David Street - First-Time Homeowner
A recent North Carolina A & T State University graduate, David Street has more than a birthday to be excited about. At 25 years old and single, he is a Youth Director and District resident. Other than his college years, David has lived in the nation’s capital his whole life.
He is no stranger to the Greater Washington Urban League (GWUL). He learned of their housing programs from his mother. “My mom purchased a home through the Urban League,” David says. He decided to follow in his mom’s footsteps. David was driven to purchase a house before turning 25. “It took me two and a half to three months to find the house,” he says. David closed a week before his birthday, February 2011.
His home is a two bedroom, one bathroom in Fort Dupont Park, Southeast. He always wanted to live in Fort Dupont Park neighborhood. “(Fort Dupont) is an up and coming area. The area is safe and a very quiet area,” David says. He enjoys going to concerts at Fort Dupont. At age 25, his dream has come to fruition. David has spoken at several events on how proud he is to own a home and is grateful for the assistance he received from GWUL.