November 2018
AHFA Board of Directors to Meet in December
The AHFA Board of Directors will meet Tuesday, December 18 at 11 a.m. in the AHFA offices.
Housing Trust Fund Applications Accepted on an Ongoing Basis
Applications for the National Housing Trust Fund (HTF) Program are being accepted in an open application cycle and will continue on an ongoing basis. 

The HTF was established by Congress under Title I of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. AHFA's HTF Allocation Plan is designed to provide funds to develop new construction of decent, safe and sanitary rental housing, with an initial preference for extremely low-income homeless or transitioning veterans located primarily in underserved rural areas.

Projects that received AHFA HOME or Housing Credit awards in program years 2017 or 2018 may also submit an application for HTF by contacting AHFA. 

Previously funded projects must have committed to provide five percent of the total proposed units for tenants with disabilities or homeless populations and be in compliance with the HTF program, inclusive of the 30 percent AMI restriction and the 30-year affordability period. 

For more information, visit  http://bit.ly/2ktkyUa.
Success Story: Shaqueta Vessie, Talladega
On March 3, 2017, Shaqueta Vessie left work on Friday thinking she would be back Monday for another normal work week. Then her world was turned upside down after her then 7-year-old son Kyan was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia over the weekend. She never returned to work, ultimately quitting her job to look after Kyan and ensure he got the treatment he needed.

Although her husband was still working, the family of four became a one-income household with medical bills rapidly piling up. Vessie heard about Hardest Hit Alabama and contacted them for more information. A counselor worked with her throughout this hard time to get the family approved to receive mortgage payment assistance.

Vessie has since been able to go back to work, although they still have a long road ahead with Kyan's treatment and the accompanying bills it brings. She talks about how mortgage payment assistance from Hardest Hit Alabama helped her family:
Hardest Hit Alabama is a foreclosure prevention program administered by AHFA and funded by the U.S. Treasury Department. HHA offers programs including mortgage payment assistance for unemployed or underemployed homeowners, as well as loan modification and short sale options for borrowers facing temporary financial hardships. Visit  www.HardestHitAlabama.com  for more information.
Lender Spotlight: Kelli Moore, Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation, Montgomery
Kelli Moore has been in the mortgage business for 14 years and with Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation the last five years. She heard about AHFA’s Step Up down payment assistance program through fellow loan officers when she first came into the industry.
 
Q: How much of your monthly production utilizes the Step Up program?
A: These days about 20 percent of my monthly production involves Step Up.
 
Q: What do you like most about Step Up?
A: While some people may have the down payment required to use traditional FHA or Conventional financing, it’s very nice to be able to offer down payment assistance so that there is an option for prospective homebuyers to be able to hang on to their money for miscellaneous costs that may come right after purchasing a home. There are also many people who live paycheck to paycheck, are not overextended and pay their bills on time, but are unable to save for various reasons. Having a down payment assistance program with a relatively low cost offers these people the ability
to purchase a home that they may otherwise not be able to, and in turn, they are able to start building savings through the equity they build in their home.
 
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?  
A: There are so many characteristics that I enjoy about my job that it’s hard to name them all, but the icing on the cake has to do with the relationships that I get to build on a daily basis. Purchasing a home is a big deal, and the people that trust myself and my company with that transaction are very important to me. The relationship that is built is one that continues on for life.
 
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to mention?
A: I have recently teamed up with Vicki Williams, a well-respected loan officer in Montgomery who formerly owned Anchor Mortgage. Vicki has closed many loans and built many wonderful relationships over 47 years, so when she decided that she wanted to join Fairway, we were very honored and excited. It is my privilege to team up with her in order to provide the extra assurance that there is always someone available to serve our customers.
Success Story: Cypress Trace, Bay Minette

Bay Minette native Donna Godwin was in need of affordable housing after moving back to the area to care for elderly parents. After seeing a sign for Cypress Trace in the early days of its construction, Godwin added her name to the waiting list. Her patience paid off. The retired nurse and her service dog, Pearl, became Cypress Trace's first residents.

Cypress Trace was financed in part by $1,531,420 in HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds and $481,325 in Housing Credits, both administered in Alabama by AHFA.

Hear Godwin share her story about living at Cypress Trace:
AHFA and BancorpSouth Address Homowners/Homebuyers in Hayneville and Montgomery
On November 8, AHFA staff discussed the Step Up down payment assistance program and the Hardest Hit Alabama foreclosure prevention program with potential homebuyers and homeowners at a pair of workshops sponsored by BancorpSouth.

The sessions were held in Hayneville and Montgomery.
Open House & Ribbon Cutting Held for Livingston Development
An open house celebration and ribbon cutting was held November 29 in Livingston for Greenfield Apartments. The newly renovated family community, comprised of 56 units, was financed in part by $444,956 in Housing Credits administered by AHFA.
AHFA Offices to Close for December/January Holidays

AHFA, ServiSolutions, and Hardest Hit Alabama will be closed Monday, December 24 and Tuesday, December 25 in observance of the Christmas holiday.

We will also be closed Tuesday, January 1 in observance of the New Year's holiday.

Please make a note of these dates.

Single-Family Participating Lenders: AHFA will have one loan funding during weeks with holidays. Those will be Friday, December 28 (Christmas) and Friday, January 4 (New Year's).
Alabama Housing Finance Authority | Montgomery, Alabama | 334.244.9200 | Email | Website
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