Success Stories

This house was built at the local high school as part of a class project. The house was moved from the high school to a foundation in July 2011. Isaac used his FAIM money for this Habitat for Humanity House. There is work to be done and they are trying to catch up.

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Jill is a single mother whose part-time income and full-time student expenses required her to seek government assistance for her two very young daughters and herself to get by. She had a dream of independence and self-sufficiency which included a home of her own and a good paying job.  She finished her degree, kept up three jobs at once, paid down student loans & credit card debt and raised her credit score over 100 points.  Jill closed on her house in February and was able to secure very affordable monthly payments by layering her FAIM money, using down payment assistance and her own set aside savings.  Jill is a shining example of  success for the FAIM program!

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Mark and Cassandra Blowers own a dairy farm in rural Minnesota.  They joined the FAIM program in hopes of keeping their farm in operation, and have continued to make living for them and their children on the farm they love.  Their family has experienced multiple challenges since beginning the program but has persevered through it all with their determination and hope to maybe pass the farm on to one of their children.  They are the 2009 FAIM Savers award winners for the small business asset track.

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Lance Boudin 2009 "Allies in Action" Award Winner

Lance Boudin began his affiliation with West Central Minnesota Communities Action as a part of the Institutional Community Work Crew working on housing construction in the Affordable Housing program that builds new homes for low to moderate income households in West Central Minnesota.  Though he had limited experience upon entry, he viewed the experience on the crew as an opportunity to learn.  Some of what he learned was how to read blue prints and in general how to focus on the many details that are a part of the building process.

Lance first became involved with the FAIM program when he showed up as an interested participant in the Financial Fitness classes that were being offered to the Department of Corrections crew.  Lance was an active participant in the classes and very often offered interesting examples to the rest of the class of financial strategies that worked.  His sense of humor was key to keeping the classes fresh and interesting for not only the rest of the participants, but for the West Central staff as well. 

Lance volunteered on several projects for West Central that have included painting and fix up work in 

and around the office as well as assisting in the installation of the laminate flooring.   Lance volunteered with the first Group WorkCamp hosted by West Central and also has worked with Habitat for Humanity.  He participates actively in the REC (Residents Encountering Christ) program that is a combination of local citizens volunteering their time and individuals who are housed at the Douglas County jail and he states that his life has been so touched by this activity he decided to remain active in the program upon his release.  Lance also volunteers with a Children’s Ministry at church.

While in the work release program Lance was employed by Four Seasons construction for two months and then for New Millennium Custom Cabinets that is a sub contractor for the Affordable Housing program. Currently Lance is employed by Bistro to Go.

A memory that staff who facilitated the financial fitness classes have of Lance is that he would often point to pictures of the homes that were being constructed by West Central and state that he “was going to own one of those houses some day”.  As Lance came closer to the time when his opportunity to purchase a home was available, he became a little apprehensive about his decision.  However, with support from the Affordable Housing and FAIM staff as well as from his peers he decided to make the leap and sign a purchase agreement.  Staff was able to connect Lance with a 1% USDA Rural Development mortgage, GAP financing from Minnesota Housing and a Federal tax credit/loan for $7,500 that will be paid back over the course of time allowing his home to be affordable.  Being in the office the day Lance was choosing colors for trim and signing paperwork for the purchase was an experience not to be missed.  Lance has never missed an opportunity to tell staff what he was doing, what his plans for the future were or where he could be located.  He is a stellar example of how the combined efforts of a program participant, West Central Staff, and opportunity can come together to foster success and once more emphasize the Community Action motto, “Helping People, Changing Lives”. 

Martin and Sarah Sawinski

The tape marks from the foreclosure notice are still visible on the front door of the green house in Duluth’s Lincoln Park/West End.

For the Sawinski family, who will move into the home they’re renovating next month, it’s a reminder that hope can spring from a desperate situation.

“There are a lot of foreclosures on the market and, as unfortunate as that is, it also opens up opportunities for others,” Martin Sawinski said. “People can get into a house that’s not perfect, invest in it, and they have immediately gained an asset.”

Like many other first-time homebuyers in Duluth, the Sawinskis are taking advantage of historically low interest rates, inexpensive properties from the foreclosure market and — the biggie — the federal stimulus tax credit of up to $8,000 for first-time buyers in 2009.

“Now we have this perfect storm, but in a good way. There’s this perfect combination of factors to make it an especially good time to buy a house,” said Angie Miller, executive director of Community Action Duluth, an organization that works with people with lower incomes.

Martin and Sarah Sawinski took part in Community Action Duluth’s Family Assets for Independence in Minnesota program, which triples participants’ savings over a two-year period for those under a specified income level: $29,140 for a family of two, $44,100 for a family of four.

The savings, which can reach a maximum of $3,840, can be used as the down payment on a home, to start a business or to go to college.

Martin Sawinski, who took part in FAIM in 2006, used the money to start his own graphic design company, 3Five Designs, just a few blocks from the family’s new home, while Sarah Sawinski used her FAIM savings from 2007 to start birth tub rentals for home births under the name Full Moon Birth Spa Rental.

As 3Five Designs grew exponentially, the couple found themselves able to look around for a house for themselves and their two young children, Kiera and Sully, and were encouraged by the incentives for first-time buyers.

Realtor Derek Bratager sees the situation from both sides of the table.

After helping clients buy property for three years, Bratager will take the plunge himself Thursday, when he closes on his first home, a three-bedroom property in Duluth Heights dating from the 1890s.

Having built up his savings through the FAIM program, Bratager was required to take the homebuyer and financial management classes to graduate.

“I got so much good information that everyone should know,” he said. “I definitely had the knowledge, but if it’s your first home you just don’t know it, and this class brings everything to your attention.”

Bratager agrees that the conditions are perfect for first-time buyers like him. He is witnessing the evidence in his job as a Realtor at Prudential Northland Realty, recently writing two purchase agreements for first-timers within seven days.

“I haven’t written two purchase agreements for first-time home buyers within a week, ever, so that says something,” he added.

At Community Action Duluth, staff members are seeing a similar upsurge. In the six-month period from October 2008 through last month, the organization was involved with eight home purchases by first-time buyers.

Housing counselor Sarah Priest says she already has seven purchases on her books for this quarter alone.

“Statewide, this FAIM program is called the Happy Program,” Priest said. “It’s because it’s so positive.

“There really are success stories, of people who have very low hours at their job, or very low income, and through coaching and asset attainment, they move ahead,” she said. “It just feels good to learn and make concrete steps to improve your life and your family’s life.”

Community Action Duluth also offers the Common Cents money class, teaching how to improve credit scores, get out of debt, build assets and get a mortgage.

Anyone enrolled in the FAIM program must take Homestretch, a home

buyers’ class through Neighborhood Housing Services, an organization that offers education and counseling to those buying a new home or losing a home through foreclosure.

Kristen Monson, who teaches the Homestretch classes, says her most recent classes, last week, were extremely large, with more than 30 participants.

“It’s that sense of accomplishment,” Martin Sawinski said as he sat on the steps of the new home with his wife and children. “It’s that old cliché of the American dream: setting up a business, buying your house and starting a family.”

Shari Ellingson

http://www.mankatofreepress.com/local/local_story_284235552.html

Dane Grover

http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/home/Crisis-In-Caring-Part-5--105893473.html