Your Intermittent News & Updates |
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Home HeadQuarters Celebrates 25 Years! |
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A Freddie Mac representative joins HHQ CEO Kerry Quaglia and Congressman Jim Walsh in kicking off the "Don't Borrow Trouble" campaign, a national anti-predatory lending effort in 2000. |
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We've been trying to celebrate our 25th Anniversary for over a year now and we're finally doing it! Please join us in celebrating HHQ's first-time homebuyers, all-time neighborhood impact, new homes and education milestones, old friends, old photos and more!
HHQ 25th Anniversary Event
Thursday, May 19, 5:30pm
Bellevue Country Club
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Block Blitz is Back (Baby?) |
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Oh, Block Blitz we've missed you so--the driveway sealer covered shoes, the piles of dirt, lost paint brushes, missing wheelbarrows and, of course, the weather. Well, no worries because we can all experience those wonderful moments again at #BlockBlitz2022! We're focusing our efforts around LeMoyne College this year and have picked a date: Friday, September 16. Mark your calendars and visit our Block Blitz page for more information as we get closer to the event.
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Helping People on a One-to-One Level |
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The Syracuse Financial Empowerment Center welcomes its newest financial counselor Rafiki Fulgence. Originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rafiki spent more than six years in a refugee camp before finally settling in Upstate New York with his family. He studied and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from LeMoyne College and previously worked at Cooperative Federal as a member representative. With his knowledge, dedication to helping people and his fluency in four languages (Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, and English), Rafiki knows he brings a special connection and empathy to his soon-to-be clients at the SyracuseFEC.
"I understand that for people in our community, many who have come here from other countries, financial literacy was not a priority. When you need to prioritize survival over savings, financial aspects like money, let alone credit and its importance, are often completely alien."
While looking forward to building relationships and fostering community connections, Rafiki hopes most of all to be a part of people's journey towards financial autonomy. "I want to serve the community at large, mainly focusing on the populations that are underserved in every way possible, regardless of their race, creed, or nationality of origin."
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Syracuse Apartments for Rent |
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Home HeadQuarters currently has four 3-bedroom apartments available to rent, three on the Westside and one on the city's Northside. All tenants must be income-qualified and Section 8 is preferred.
Minimum rent per month is $1,023/all utilities included.
If interested, please contact Mary Jo at (315) 459-6644 or info@homehq.org.
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Learning to Make a Difference—Big and Small
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Erin Perski recently joined Home HeadQuarters as the Mortgage Development Manager. The Syracuse native helps underwrite the organization's first mortgages and provides lending and customer service know-how to HHQ's Buffalo Homeowner and Landlord Programs and City of Elmira Homeowner Loan Program. Originally a branch manager for a local credit union, Erin came to HHQ looking for a little mission-driven change.
"My first month on the job, I was pre-qualifying a single Dad for a mortgage and I realized he was in tears. He told me that he didn't think he would ever be a homeowner and what a big difference this would make in his life."
As someone who only left Syracuse to go to college (her kids go to the same grade school she did!), Erin appreciates her community roots and the opportunity to give back. What we aren't so sure about is how much Erin and her husband appreciate the daily cheerleading from the kids about Mom's new job. "It's like day number 40 at this point, I can't imagine how much longer they can keep this going."
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Ready for Spring repairs? Here's some home repair financing that could help:
Onondaga County 1% Program - Loans of up to $20,000 with a grant of up to $6,000 or 30% of the overall loan amount for eligible Onondaga County homeowners for exterior or health and safety repairs.
Outer Comstock 1% Loan - Loan of up to $10,000 for homeowners of city of Syracuse's Outer Comstock neighborhood.
SHARP Grants - $1,500 grants for eligible city of Syracuse homeowners for exterior or health and safety repairs. Get on the waitlist now!
Buffalo & Erie County Landlord Fund - Loans of up to $25,000 for small rental property repair. Eligible city of Buffalo Landlords can take advantage of a grant of up to $5,000.
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What Does Financial Freedom Look Like? |
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Virgie and her husband, Ryan, met while both were in law school. They graduated, but struggled to find consistent work in the Great Recession. Two years after graduating, they found good jobs in D.C., but the cost of living was much higher than they were used to and they were soon living mostly paycheck to paycheck. Between hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt and an ever increasing cadre of credit card bills they were unable to manage their level of debt.
"We kept saying to each other that one day, we'd pay it off, but for 6-8 years, that day didn't come."
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"We desperately needed to know how to manage our debt and how to do it responsibly.
Syracuse FEC counselors met with the family, triaged the problem and came up with a plan to address the debt based on balances and interest rates. Armed with a detailed plan and a regular check in with FEC counselors on a working budget, Virgie and Ryan began to make slow, but steady progress.
"Sure, it was a little embarrassing and scary at first," says Virgie. "But when you really start paying off big chunks of debt, you realize you can finally start doing something nice for yourselves, you can actually take a breath."
Two years later, still always mindful of their budget, the couple has paid off all their credit cards, paid off a second car in 18 months and started saving for the future.
"Go to the FEC, be honest and make a plan. What does financial freedom look like to you? What does your family's health look like? There's help if you're feeling stuck in a situation that can do you and your family harm."
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Last Days to Vote, Vote, Vote by 3/31 |
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These are the last days of voting for HHQ as part of the Target Giving Program. If you shop at Target and have the Target Circle app, just visit "Community Giving" on your Target Circle dashboard and vote for Home HeadQuarters. You can download the app just for voting! For full program details and restrictions visit Target Circle. Thanks to everyone who has already voted for happy homeowners!
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Housing and Financial Counselors Needed |
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Home HeadQuarters is seeking a Housing Counselor as part of its HomeOwnership Center and a Financial Counselor as part of the Syracuse Financial Empowerment Center! Housing and financial counseling works--be a part of something that can make such a huge difference in someone's life. Check out our Employment page on our website for details on how to apply!
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Big Changes Ahead: Siding is going up on the former DeJulio's on Burnet Ave. in Syracuse and site work is expected to begin soon. |
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