{"id":5045,"date":"2023-07-26T12:59:33","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T18:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rockfordhabitat.org\/?p=5045"},"modified":"2023-07-26T13:16:02","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T19:16:02","slug":"beyond-the-walls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rockfordhabitat.org\/es\/2023\/07\/26\/beyond-the-walls\/","title":{"rendered":"BEYOND THE WALLS"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Beyond the Wall: A Special Homebuyer Spotlight<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When people think of the work of Habitat for Humanity, it often conjures up images of volunteers raising walls, people in hardhats pounding nails, and families holding up keys to a new home. These early milestones are huge accomplishments, and we celebrate them accordingly! But once the dust has settled, seldom do we get the opportunity to talk about the quiet, steady work these families continue to put in over the next 20 to 30 years\u2014 the work of paying off their mortgage. Beatrice (\u201cBea\u201d) bought her home from Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity in 2007. Her kids \u2013 both of whom are now adults with kids of their own \u2013 were 6 and almost 10 at the time. Now, 16 years later, Bea has become the 28th<\/sup> homeowner to achieve the incredible milestone of repaying her mortgage in full to Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Homeownership \u2013 a paradigm shift <\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many people do not realize that families like Bea\u2019s purchase their home through a mortgage to become homeowners. Our mortgages are designed to be affordable\u2014 meaning the mortgage payment should take less than 30% of the homeowner\u2019s monthly income\u2014 and over the life of the loan, the homeowner will never pay interest. The 28 people like Bea who have paid off their mortgage but still own their original home join the company of 16 others who have paid off their mortgage by selling their home on the open market. That means that, out of every four mortgages we have originated in the history of Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity, one has been completely paid off and satisfied in full! Bea, who has worked in early childhood education since she first bought her home, says that she can still remember the first time she keyed into her new home and walked in like it was yesterday. \u201cIt was the greatest feeling of my life to open the door of something that was mine,\u201d Bea reflects. Bea says that initially, the most important thing about her new home was that it was a safe haven for her and her kids. Over time, however, its significance has evolved.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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An important wealth-building asset <\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

RAHFH was founded 35 years ago, so we have reached an age where more and more loans come to maturity each year. This accomplishment is so significant for homeowners like Bea, because it means that what began as a safe home for their families decades ago has matured into a significant financial asset and a means to build generational wealth. Like every other homeowner in America, Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity\u2019s homeowners can put that asset to work however is best for them, whether that\u2019s letting it appreciate or selling it to cash out their equity or passing it to their kids. The latter is precisely what Bea plans to do, saying: \u201cI plan to leave this home to my children one day. It is something that I can pass down, and hopefully they will pass it down too.\u201d Bea says that she is still in shock to own her home outright after a lifetime of paying monthly rent and then monthly mortgage payments, but she recognizes that this means financial freedom for her as she thinks about retiring in the next five or six years. \u201cOwning this home changed me and my kids\u2019 lives,\u201d Bea says. \u201cWe went from living in poverty, in an unsafe environment, to owning this house, which we made into our home. This home provided a safe, loving environment, and we will always have it.\u201d So we celebrate\u2014 publicly, exuberantly\u2014 on the early days when walls are raised or keys are handed over, but while it is less flashy and more private, we also celebrate with a warm sense of gratified pride on the day many years later when the last payment is made!    Congratulations to Bea, and to all of our homeowners who have reached the major milestone of owning their home mortgage-free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written by: Caitlyn Baylor, Special Initiatives and Grants Director 2023<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Beyond the Wall: A Special Homebuyer Spotlight When people think of the work of Habitat for Humanity, it often conjures up images of volunteers raising walls, people in hardhats pounding nails, and families holding up keys to a new home. These early milestones are huge accomplishments, and we celebrate them accordingly! But once the dust […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":161727633,"featured_media":5071,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"Helvetica","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1399],"tags":[1376,1365,1366,1362],"class_list":["post-5045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homeowner-spotlights","tag-affordable-housing","tag-habitat-for-humanity","tag-habitat-for-humanity-international","tag-housing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockfordhabitat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/bea-for-blog.png?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb8kyv-1jn","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2207,"url":"https:\/\/rockfordhabitat.org\/es\/2021\/03\/12\/impact-story-bea-and-annette\/","url_meta":{"origin":5045,"position":0},"title":"Impact Story: Bea and Annette","author":"Community Engagement","date":"marzo 12, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Annette, left, and Bea, right They say that sisters make the best friends in the world, and there could not be a clearer demonstration of this saying than the sisterhood of Bea and Annette Walker.\u00a0 In 2001, Annette was a young woman living with her two kids in scattered-site housing\u2026","rel":"","context":"Entrada similar ","block_context":{"text":"Entrada similar ","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockfordhabitat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Bea-and-annette-1-1.jpg?fit=717%2C869&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockfordhabitat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Bea-and-annette-1-1.jpg?fit=717%2C869&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockfordhabitat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Bea-and-annette-1-1.jpg?fit=717%2C869&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockfordhabitat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Bea-and-annette-1-1.jpg?fit=717%2C869&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2456,"url":"https:\/\/rockfordhabitat.org\/es\/2021\/06\/21\/staff-spotlight-keri\/","url_meta":{"origin":5045,"position":1},"title":"Staff Spotlight: Keri","author":"Community Engagement","date":"junio 21, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Keri\u2019s story with Habitat for Humanity began when she was a 19-year-old resident assistant at her university. She needed to do a community service project and McDonough County Habitat for Humanity was the option that was still available. Keri signed up and invited other students to come with her. 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He was 12 years old, and he was scoping out where his soon-to-be best friend and crush, Jamecka, lived. Shondale\u2019s family had just bought their home from Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity a few blocks\u2026","rel":"","context":"Entrada similar ","block_context":{"text":"Entrada similar ","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockfordhabitat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Jamecka-Shondale-family-photo-1238597111-1649523583528.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockfordhabitat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Jamecka-Shondale-family-photo-1238597111-1649523583528.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockfordhabitat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Jamecka-Shondale-family-photo-1238597111-1649523583528.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockfordhabitat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Jamecka-Shondale-family-photo-1238597111-1649523583528.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockfordhabitat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Jamecka-Shondale-family-photo-1238597111-1649523583528.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1958,"url":"https:\/\/rockfordhabitat.org\/es\/2021\/01\/07\/staff-spotlight-laura\/","url_meta":{"origin":5045,"position":3},"title":"Staff Spotlight: Laura","author":"Community Engagement","date":"enero 7, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Meet Laura, the Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity Office Manager! 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