“I really love my house,” Sheila said. “Having a home and a yard is the best thing for my kids and me.” We can hang out and everything is okay.”

In 2012, Sheila Solis was watching her rent increase with a wary eye. Her situation was far from unique. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Policy Development and Research reported in 2013 that overall rental housing market conditions in the Eugene-Springfield area, where Sheila was living, “have been persistently tight since 2007.”

However, through her job with the Siletz Tribe, of which she is a tribal member, Sheila learned about the IDA program at NEDCO. Sheila was able to sign up and start financial education classes.

The education Sheila obtained through NEDCO gave Sheila the information she needed to bring several pieces of her household finances together so that she would be purchase-ready. Because she had no credit rating, she pursued a small line of credit through Oregon Community Credit Union so that she could establish a credit history. Other classes and counseling provided her with information on different methods of budgeting, the home buying process, and managing energy expenses. 

With her newfound savvy, Sheila was able to work with her loan officer to adjust her credit and debt to a point where she could obtain a reasonable mortgage. “Without the IDA funds to help with the down payment, I would not have been able to be eligible for a home loan,” notes Sheila. In 2015 Sheila obtained a 30-year fixed mortgage at a reasonable rate and her family moved into their new home in Eugene.

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