Photo Caption: Tim Weber and Jacquelyn Schneider in the living room of their East Hillside, three-bedroom home.
“New Baby, New Home:” Couple Purchases First Home
Submitted by LISC
Tim Weber and Jacquelyn Schneider are excited about owning their own home. “It has always been our dream to own our own home, especially since we will soon have a new baby,” said Jacquelyn. “It’s also great not to have to continue to pay high rent every month,” added Tim.
Tim heard about the “Hillside Homeownership Incentive Program” (HHIP) at St. Luke’s where he works. Through this program, he and Jacquelyn received a $2,000 grant to help them with downpayment and closing costs. “Without this grant, it would have taken us many more years to save enough money to buy a home,” said Jacquelyn.
Tim and Jacqueline participated in the Hillside Homeownership Incentive Program, an employer-assisted program of the “At Home in Duluth” partnership. Because of the generosity of seven Duluth employers, owning a home in the Central Hillside, East Hillside or Endion neighborhoods has become a reality for their employees.
HHIP is a partnership among local employers, Duluth Local Initiatives Support Corporation (Duluth LISC), Neighborhood Housing Services of Duluth (NHS Duluth), and the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund (GMHF). Current employers are Miller-Dwan Medical Center, North Shore Bank of Commerce, Northland Foundation, SMDC Health System, St. Luke’s, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo Bank.
To date, 108 families have become homeowners in the Central and East Hillside neighborhoods.
Here’s how the program works:
Employees interested in purchasing a home in the Hillside neighborhood contact NHS Duluth at 727-8604 to discuss participating in the Hillside Homeownership Incentive Program. NHS verifies that grant funds are available, and HHIP participants are required to complete the NHS homebuyer education course. NHS also links them to money management education and other sources of purchase and rehabilitation funding.
There are no income limits for the employer-funded $2,000 grant. In addition to the $2,000 grant, families may qualify (based on income and family size) for an additional $2,000 in funds provided by Duluth LISC and GMHF.
“We learned a lot during the homebuyer course,” said Tim. “Kris Monson [who teaches the class at NHS] shared many good ideas about how to find a home, what to look for, and what to watch out for,” added Jacquelyn.
There is a similar program for employees who wish to live in the Lincoln Park neighborhood: Homeownership Program for Employees in Lincoln Park. The process is the same: interested employees contact NHS at 727-8604.
The “At Home in Duluth” partnership continues to look for employers who understand the value of providing this homeownership benefit to their employees who would like to live in the Hillside and be near their work site. Employer contributions to Duluth LISC are tax deductible, charitable donations, and contributions are matched by national LISC. For further information, interested employers should contact Duluth LISC at 727-7761.
Initiated by Duluth LISC in 1998, “At Home in Duluth” is a 20-member partnership that works to revitalize Duluth’s core older neighborhoods, including Central and East Hillside. Through “At Home,” older deteriorated housing is being upgraded; families are assisted to become homeowners; new homes are constructed on vacant, infill lots; commercial corridors are revitalized; and streets and parks are improved.
Note: This is the second in a series of articles about the “At Home in Duluth” partners and what they are doing to continue to improve the quality of life in the Hillside neighborhoods.
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