SJHI homes are renovated and sold at an affordable price to low and moderate-income homebuyers who have been pre-qualified and participated in SJHI-sponsored home buying education programs.

BUYER SUPPORT

SJHI DOWNPAYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

SJHI offers $5,000 Down Payment Assistance to buyers of SJHI houses. This DPA comes in the form of a 5-year forgivable loan.

HOME RENOVATIONS

SJHI complete extensive, quality and energy-efficient renovations on our all our homes. This is to ensure that home buyers are not facing any major unexpected home-related costs in their first 5 years of homeownership. Typical renovations include:

  • New roof and gutters
  • New kitchen & bath
  • New flooring
  • New ceiling fans and light fixtures
  • New appliances including washer and dryer
  • New fence and landscaping
  • Interior and exterior painting
  • New windows
  • New plumbing
  • New electric
  • New heating & cooling systems
  • Prepaid security system
  • 1 year Home Warranty

HOME SWEET HOME

SJHI is thrilled to partner with Home Sweet Home, an organization that offers families the opportunity to obtain basic household furnishings. Facilitated by a member of our team and our friends at Home Sweet Home, each SJHI family can visit the Home Sweet Home showroom, shop their own selections of new and gently-used furniture and household items based on family size and needs, and have their items delivered to their new home on the same day.

FIRST NEIGHBORS PROGRAM

In a city neighborhood, owning a home doesn’t just mean having a roof over your head–it means having neighbors by your side. In our First Neighbors program, each new homeowner is paired with a team of current community residents facilitated by SJHI, to offer support and foster community.

FIRST NEIGHBORS ARE:

  • Residents of the neighborhood
  • Representative of the diversity of races, ethnicities and cultures in our community
  • Willing to welcome the new homebuyer to the area by introducing them to other neighbors and families
  • Will be willing to take the new neighbor on a tour of the area, pointing out important resources (grocery store, library, post office, etc.)
  • Will invite the new homebuyer to join them in attending neighborhood meetings, block parties, alley sweeps etc.
  • Will introduce the new family to Neighborhood Stabilization Officer, Alderman and neighborhood leaders and explain their roles
  • Will provide info on churches and schools as needed
  • Will check in frequently with the new neighbor, maybe even invite for a casual dinner from time to time
  • Will give information that a new neighbor might not understand, eg. protocol for using dumpsters, where to park on street cleaning days, etc.
  • Will be willing to loan a tool or help with a project
  • Will commit approximately 20 hours/year, for at least 1 year, including attending occasional homeowner welcome parties and occasional First Neighbor team meetings with the SJHI First Neighbors team coordinator
  • Will attend an orientation conducted by SJHI
  • Will have ongoing check-ins and communication with the SJHI First Neighbors team coordinator
  • Will be provided with a First Neighbors Handbook that includes a phone/email tree, neighborhood community resources, and helpful ideas for how to be a good neighbor

If you are interested in becoming a part of the First Neighbors team, reach out to us today!

HOME-BUYER EDUCATION

SJHI OFFERS TWO FORMS OF HOME-BUYER EDUCATION:

1. Introductory Home-Buyer Education Workshops, co-sponsored by Prosperity Connection. These classes are hosted by a representative from Carrollton Bank and are offered in English and Spanish. Classes include:

  • How to achieve affordable and successful homeownership
  • Information on Down Payment Assistance Programs that are available
  • How to get a FREE credit analysis
  • What documentation you need to be approved for a loan
  • FREE Guide to Owning Your Own Home!
  • FREE Home Financing Checklist!
  • FREE Credit Analysis!

2. All-Day Intensive Home Buyer Education Class at Beyond Housing.  Once a family has qualified and is ready to make an offer on an SJHI house, we sponsor their attendance at this class, that offers extensive preparation for the entire process of buying, closing, and owning your first home.