Victoria moved to Central Oregon at the beginning of 2019 with one goal in mind -- to own her own home. Around that time, someone told Victoria that homeownership was not a viable or realistic option for her because of her low income, which was only Social Security, a low credit score, high personal debt, and no savings or bank account in her name. She was determined to prove them wrong. Shortly after she moved to La Pine, Victoria joined the PATHWorks program to get to work in pursuing her homeownership goal.

Victoria started volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. She was interested in possibly applying for a Habitat home but found out that she did not have enough income to qualify. Habitat was building townhouses at that time and with her disability, stairs were out of the question. She was feeling pretty defeated, but her determination to succeed would not allow her to give up.

Victoria visited the La Pine Community Kitchen one day to get groceries and stayed to take a cooking class. That lead her to start doing volunteer work for the La Pine Community Kitchen. After about 6 months, she was hired and started working for them through the Worksource Experience Works program. This gave her an entry-level income, but it still was not enough for her to qualify to buy a home. In June of 2020, she applied for and was offered a position as a Grant Writer for the La Pine Community Kitchen. Her past education, including a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and a minor in Sociology, past work experience, and the relationships she developed from volunteering helped her to secure the position.

With her increase in income, Victoria created a budget and made a plan to pay off her remaining debts. The on-time payments she made on her Security Deposit Loan through Families Forward at Housing Works, along with paying down her debts, helped Victoria increase her credit score from 400 to over 700 points. Not only did Victoria pay down her debts, establish a positive credit history, and increase her earned income (which resulted in PATHWorks escrow savings as a participant in the PATHWorks program), she also started saving in the IDA 3:1 matched savings program through NeighborImpact. She was well on her way to accomplishing her goal of homeownership!

A short two and a half years later, Victoria accomplished her goal of homeownership and released all her assistance when she closed on her home in Myrtle Creek, OR in July 2021. Victoria continues to be able to work remotely as the Grant Writer for the La Pine Community Kitchen.

It wasn't always easy for Victoria, and she had obstacles to overcome along her journey, but she never gave up. She had the perseverance and determination to reach her goals. This is only the beginning for Victoria! Her next plan includes starting her own business now that she has the room and her own space to do it.

Victoria recently said "I am not sure I would have had the motivation and follow through to reach, what just a little over two years ago, I thought of as just a dream. While most people are retiring at 65, my future is just beginning. I am loving having my own weeds to pull, and I splurged and bought myself the one gift I have been wanting since I volunteered with Habitat. I bought a power sliding, dual bevel, miter saw. The gift of my dreams and a place to work on, what more could a mom want. My daughter, Harley, is loving having our own yard, and enough space in the house to dance around in. For the first time, in a long time, I am excited when I wake up in the morning, and I can honestly say that the FSS program, Andy, and Vanessa helped reawaken the joy in me. They helped guide me to achieving my dreams."

Thank you, Victoria, for the kind words, and congratulations on all you have accomplished!

These short videos below explain concepts from the "Your Money, Your Goals" toolkit.

Housing Works' non-profit, Families Forward, is honored to have been recently selected as a recipient of an $8,000 Community Impact Grant from United Way of Central Oregon (UWCO). We’re proud to partner with United Way of Central Oregon to provide Security Deposit Assistance loans through our Moving Forward Fund. Loans are only available to Housing Choice Voucher holders, VASH participants, and people moving into properties owned by Housing Works. The Moving Forward fund exists to help individuals and families with income restrictions improve their credit, access financial tools, and help with the high cost of moving by providing security deposit assistance loans. 

Bank On Oregon can help you find a safe, affordable bank account. Bank on Oregon is a coalition of financial institutions, government agencies, and non-profits who are working together to provide a bank product, and experience that works better for previously underserved communities to reduce the number of unbanked and underbanked people in the country. Bank On Oregon works in partnership with the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund), a national nonprofit organization that works to ensure that everyone has access to a safe, affordable transactional banking account through Bank On.  

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