Homeownership Program
Owning your own home can move from a dream to a reality—and NAYA Family Center can help. Our Homeownership Program provides culturally specific homeownership coaching, education, and programming that will help you plan to buy, and plan to keep, your home. Our program works to increase homeownership opportunities for Portland’s Urban Native Community and close the Native homeownership gap. All of our services are free and we are an equal housing opportunity provider.
Minority Homeowner Assistance Collaborative (MHAC) Down Payment Assistance Loan (DPAL) Program
The Down Payment Assistance Loan (DPAL) application is now available. Download the DPAL Program Application here or pick up an application at NAYA Family Center or any of the organizations in the Minority Homeowner Assistance Collaborative (MHAC) listed below.
The Minority Homeowner Assistance Collaborative (MHAC) is an initiative of local non-profit organizations The African American Alliance for Homeownership (AAAH), Hacienda Community Development Corporation (Hacienda CDC), Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA Family Center) and Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, Inc. (PCRI).
The Down Payment Assistance Loan (DPAL) Program is a homebuyer assistance tool designed for first time, low-to-moderate income homebuyers interested in purchasing a home in the Interstate Corridor or Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Areas. The Portland Housing Bureau has contracted with MHAC to prepare, screen and refer MHAC clients for the DPAL Program.
How to Apply
If you have questions, please contact Homeownership Staff at one of the MHAC organizations.
- Applications will be made available Monday, November 15, 2010 at all four MHAC agency office locations and on-line at their websites.
- Complete all the documents, with signatures, listed on the Application Checklist (page 5) and submit to one of the MHAC partner agency locations, via mail, email or fax.
- An incomplete or late application packet may result in a denial of assistance by the MHAC DPAL Program Committee simply because the application packet is incomplete.
To download a printable application, click here.
Application Deadlines and Award Announcement
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Application Due Date |
Award Announcement |
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2011 |
On the 2nd and 4th Friday of every month by 5pm, through December 9th, 2011. |
On the 1st and 3rd Friday of every month by 5pm, through December 16, 2011. |
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2012 - If funds remain available |
On the 2nd and 4th Friday of every month by 5pm, beginning January 13th, through March 2012. |
On the 1st and 3rd Friday of every month by 5pm, beginning January 27th through March 2012. |
Services
NAYA Family Center is a HUD approved homebuyer education and counseling agency.
Homebuyer Education Classes
Are you interested in learning the steps to take to purchase your first home? Our Pathways Home: Homebuyer Education class takes you through each step of the home buying process. We use the culturally specific curriculum Pathways Home: A Native Homeownership Guide, as developed by the National American Indian Housing Council, NeighborWorks America and Oweesta.
Pathways Home is a two-part class, held on consecutive Saturdays from 9 am–3 pm. Part 1 is an overview of income and credit, the steps required to purchase your home, explanation of homeownership terms, the paperwork that you will to complete, and much more. Part 2 highlights the roles of lenders, real estate agents, and home inspectors—with a guest speaker from each industry to tell you about their role in the transaction.
To sign up for our next class, please contact Anna Steirer at annas(at)nayapdx(dot)org or (503) 288-8177, ext. 289.
NAYA Family Center is a HUD approved housing counseling agency.
Homeownership Coaching
Homeownership Coaching is about discussing your housing and homeownership goals and identifying the steps to achieve them. Our program continues with you every step of the way, from your homebuyer education up through purchase.
Our coaching focuses on:
- Creating a unique plan for each family or individual
- Understanding each step the home buying process
- Home buying in relationship to your spending plan and income
- Identifying an estimate of how much home you can afford
- Understanding the role of credit and helping you establish or repair credit if needed
- Understanding the roles and relationships of the players: loan officers, real estate agents and home inspectors
We also provide connections to local home buyer programs and resources, financial assistance programs, and mortgage products including the HUD Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program. Our strong partnerships with Portland’s non-profit homeownership organizations and financial institutions ensure you have the best options to choose from. We tailor our services to fit your family size, income, tribal affiliation, and location.
Homeownership Success Story
Mario Smith and Rachel Johnson-Smith .jpg)
The family featured on our 6th Annual Native American Housing to Homeownership Fair poster this year is Mario Smith and Rachel Johnson Smith (Confederated Tribe of Siletz Indians). Mario and Rachel were living in a small rental house with their two daughters, when they became pregnant with their son. They knew they wanted to find a bigger home, one they could own. One that they could plant a garden, and landscape, paint or change the wall paper without having to get permission.
They heard about the NAYA Homeownership Program after attending Positive Indian Parenting at NAYA Family Center. At the Pathways Home, home buying education classes they learned about several different affordable home buying programs and resources. They layered several different programs together, they combined a Section 184 Indian Home Loan with a program through Clackamas County to purchase and repair foreclosed homes (NSP), along with a sizable down payment assistance loan from the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. With these supports they were able to purchase a spacious 3,000 sq ft 5 bedroom house in Milwaukie Oregon, with a large yard!
They want other home buyers to know that before you go out shopping you should get educated and learn what you can afford and learn ways of saving that NAYA Family Center can help you do that!
NAYA Homeownership News
Check out our quarterly e-newsletter that offers renters, homebuyer and homeowners updates about our programs and events and learn about community resources to help with home buying and home maintenance.
NAYA Homeownership News Issue #5, October 2011
NAYA Homeownership News Special Edition, January 2011
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Helpful Links
Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program loans available to enrolled tribal members from any tribe or Nation, on land in Oregon (land in other states is eligible, see site for details):
Homeownership Opportunities Northwest (HOWNW)—a non-profit website sponsored by the Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors ® that provides a searchable database of homebuying assistance programs to help buyers achieve the dream of homeownership.
US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)—Search for free or low-cost housing counseling agencies that offer guidance on homebuying, defaults, foreclosure prevention, credit issues and reverse mortgages.
Oregon Housing and Community Services State Bond Program (OHCS)—a State of Oregon program that provides lower-interest mortgage loans for first time, income-qualified home buyers.
Portland Housing Bureau (PHB)—provides resources for homeowners in the City of Portland including home repair loans, foreclosure prevention resources and links to local non-profit program partners.
Contact Information
For more information about our program please contact Sara Libby, Homeownership Program Manager at saral(at)nayapdx(dot)org or ext. 232.
To sign up for our next homeownership orientation or education class, contact Anna Steirer at annas(at)nayapdx(dot)org or (503) 288-8177, ext. 289.
Our offices are located at 5135 NE Columbia Boulevard in Portland, Oregon.
Homeownership Program Staff
| Sara Libby | Ext. 232 | Homeownership Program Manager |
| Jen Matheson |
Ext. 297 | Homeownership Program Specialist |
| Anna Steirer |
Ext. 289 | Administrative Support Specialist |