A Home for the Holidays
Dear Santa, bring me a house to own and cherish. One to lavish with care and gather in with friends, family and neighbors during the holiday season and the rest of the year.
These days a home of one’s own is more than ever a dream becoming reality for families who once thought homeownership out of reach.
The economy remains buoyant, employment is high and interest rates are incredibly low. Add to that innovative public and private programs to help would-be homeowners, especially low-income families, minorities and immigrants. They educate families about buying and financing a home and reach out to those who do not think they can afford a home or are unaware of some surprisingly low down payment plans. There is no better time than now.
Oh, there’s no place like home for the
holidays
Cause no matter how far away you roam
When you pine for the sunshine of a
friendly gaze
For the holidays you can’t beat home,
sweet home.
First-time buyers give a gift in return; they help revive and invigorate neighborhoods, especially in older urban areas where housing tends to be more affordable than in the suburbs. With rents rising in working-class neighborhoods, buying a home helps to keep monthly housing costs under control.
Efforts to bring housing within the reach of more people are occurring throughout Southern California. Most cities in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties have local programs involving banks and other lenders to assist first-time home buyers. The key is in getting the word out: letting nontraditional buyers know the programs are available.
In Los Angeles, a public-private partnership opened a model home in Watts this summer that requires as little as $500 down and about $800 per month. The program’s goal is to help 100 low-income prospective homeowners.
In Orange County, the Costa Mesa City Council has just set aside three more surplus parcels for Habitat for Humanity projects. In the last 10 years, Habitat has built 71 houses in Orange County.
Out Ventura County way, Rancho Sespe, built, owned and managed by 550 farm-worker families near the citrus-growing town of Fillmore, has been honored by the Federal National Mortgage Assn. for its creative approach to low-income housing, including the county’s only all-day Head Start program for preschoolers.
It does not take great wealth to buy a home, even in high-cost California, or to create good neighborhoods. Across America, small towns bear this out. Homeownership builds stable communities, in the middle of cities and in aging suburbs alike.
Oh, there’s no place like home for the
holidays
‘Cause no matter how far away you roam
If you want to be happy in a million ways
For the holidays you can’t beat home,
sweet home.
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--”Home for the Holidays”
Music by Robert Allen; lyrics by Al Stillman
