June saw the celebration of Home Ownership Month

June was National Home Ownership Month. Philadelphia Housing Authority, the 4th largest in the nation, serving nearly 80,000 residents. PHA Homeownership sales are at a record high. Despite the pandemic, residents are purchasing homes and building generational wealth. PHA’s Homeownership Opportunities Program is experiencing the highest number of sales in the last 10 years. By the end of June, 40 PHA residents had purchased homes.
The Authority offers three paths to homeownership – one for public housing residents, one for Housing Choice residents, and a third called Mobility Homeownership Program, which is open to any PHA resident.
Every new homeowner went through PHA’s homeownership readiness process, where they saved $2,000 through new budgeting skills and completed credit counseling to obtain at least a 620 middle credit score. They also received one-on-one housing counseling and a pre-approval letter from a lender or bank. After completing the readiness process, the residents met with a PHA homeownership counselor to discuss their options with PHA.
Qualified residents also receive mortgage and down payment assistance through several programs, including the Mobility Homeownership Program, First Front Door Grant, PhillySEEDS (PHA’s nonprofit affiliate), Philly First Home, and lenders/banks such as PNC and Santander Bank.
At 57 years old, Dwayne Fair purchased the home that his family had leased from PHA for nearly 52 years. Fair’s family had occupied the dwelling since 1968. His mother raised her eight children in that house. Fair’s mother fell ill in 2012, and her dying wish was that her children purchase the property that was an integral part of the family legacy. Fair promised his mother he would honor her wish, and he has done just that. “It took me a few years, but I accomplished my goal. I’m just doing what I should have been doing all the long,” he stated.
It’s been a journey for Mr. Fair, a journey he admits he was ready to embrace. “This opportunity has proven to be the change of direction my life needed,” said Fair. His parents worked hard. His father, Marvin Moses March was a butcher and his mother, Cattie Ann Fair was a substitute teacher. Following his father’s passing in 1987, his mother continued raising her children in the house.
Fair’s challenges with employment and health didn’t deter his honoring his mother’s last request. He was employed as a handyman for a friend who owns some rental properties in the Philadelphia area. In November 2020, he secured the position he now holds as Building Manager for Local District Council 33. In 2011 he faced some serious health issues of his own prior to that conversation with his mother. The father of three and grandfather of six (soon to be 7) is keeping busy doing some renovations to his home.
Fair stated, “I had a few skills. My health may have presented a bit of a challenge, but after a few meetings with PHA, I decided this was the time. I wasn’t getting any younger.”
Fair says the skills that he learned and the assistance of the people at PHA were invaluable. This journey has totally changed his life. He’s trained to do electrical work as part of the Trades For a Difference program and received OSHA 10 certification, positioning him for a better-paying job. Credit Counseling enabled him to increase his credit score from 600 to 800, he has built up savings, and housing counseling has prepared him to meet the unexpected challenges of homeownership.
“Mr. Fair embodies the definition of self-determination, ”said Kelvin A. Jeremiah, President, and CEO of the Philadelphia Housing Authority. “He and other families are learning important skills that will not only be applied to their new financial journey but also will be passed onto their own personal family members and friends. In addition, our comprehensive homeownership program and partners help them to qualify for the best possible mortgage rates and avoid past pitfalls to homeownership.”
The property, located in the area of 28th and Huntingdon Streets, with a Fair Market Value (FMV) of $65,000, officially made Mr. Fair a homeowner for the first time on March 26, 2020. Following closing on the house, Fair went to his mother’s grave. “I did it. I bought the house,” he told her.