Contents

Introduction: What is HOYO?

Success Stories

Local Projects

The HOYO Process

HOYO Needs You!

Contact us for more information.

Texas Home of Your Own Coalition

I'm home!

I am behind my own door, under my own roof, doing my own thing. I can be loud or quiet. I can be with people or by myself. I can work or play-or do absolutely nothing. I can be neat or I can be messy. I get to decide. I am home!

Few words are spoken with greater relief or gratitude than these. And they are possibly no sweeter to say than when the home is our own. That monthly mortgage payment is our ticket to independence and security. Whether it's a small cottage or sprawling mansion, our home is our very own corner of the world.

An elusive dream for people with disabilities

According to a recent study by Harvard University, more than 65% of all Americans own their own homes. In stark contrast, the National Home of Your Own Alliance estimates that less than five percent of the 6.5 million Americans with disabilities receiving Social Security disability benefits are homeowners.

Homeownership is as desirable for people with disabilities as anyone else. Why, then, are there so few homeowners with disabilities?

The answer to that question lies in myriad financial, attitudinal and physical barriers that have combined to make it nearly impossible for most people with disabilities to buy homes.

Until now

The Texas Home of Your Own Coalition (HOYO) is committed to making homeownership a reality for Texans with disabilities. Through HOYO, disability advocacy organizations, government housing agencies, realtors, private lenders and others join forces to help people with disabilities turn what was once the impossible dream of owning a home to a dream come true.

To understand what HOYO does, it may help to know more about why it's so difficult for people with disabilities to buy homes.

First there's money

Many people with disabilities don't make a lot of money. Many live on fixed incomes. Some have high medical and equipment expenses. Saving enough for a down payment and closing costs for a house can be a real problem.

Then there's attitude

Our society is slow to give up long-standing stereotypes about people with disabilities. Despite so much evidence to the contrary, people with disabilities are often perceived as helpless, needy and dependent. Like any stereotype, these labels are untrue and unfair. Yet the perceptions persist and are often factors in financing approval and other housing decisions.

And there are physical barriers

Even if they are able to overcome financial and attitudinal barriers, many people find they still can't access the housing market because of physical barriers. Few homes are designed or built to be accessible to people with disabilities.

How HOYO helps

HOYO works one-on-one with people with disabilities to break through these barriers to homeownership. In partnership with state and federal agencies, HOYO offers two innovative programs to assist with down payments, mortgages and modifications to make homes accessible:

1. START-UP provides down payment assistance and funds to modify inaccessible homes for eligible HOYO participants (based on program guidelines).

2. HomeChoice^SM "Fannie Mae's home mortgage loan product" offers a low down payment and other unique features well suited to people with disabilities who have unique financial situations.

More than money matters

As anyone who's ever owned a home knows, there is more to it than closing costs, down payments and monthly mortgage bills. There are a lot of other responsibilities. Some of them are budget related, such as routine maintenance and emergency repairs. Others have to do with personal safety and security.

Recognizing that these issues are critical to successful homeownership, HOYO provides education on financial and home management. In addition, HOYO offers guidance on home and personal safety. These efforts and HOYO's ongoing relationship with prospective and new homeowners help to avoid many of the pitfalls common to owning a home for the first time.

Joys of homeownership

Does every person with a disability want to own a home? No. Homeownership is not for everybody. Just like any other group of people, you'll find that some people with disabilities prefer renting or other housing arrangements.

But for people with disabilities who do dream of owning a home, the motivation is powerful. Homeownership offers them control and choice in where and how they live. It provides them with something of value on which to build financial stability. It is a much preferred alternative to nursing homes, institutions and other restrictive settings that are too often their only other housing options. In their own homes they can put down roots and carry on with their lives, secure in the knowledge that their housing needs are taken care of for the long term.

Good news for the community, too

As more people with disabilities become homeowners, communities are starting to realize the importance of this long overlooked segment of the housing market. People with disabilities contribute significantly to the overall energy and quality of the neighborhood. And they're paying property taxes and contributing to the area economy with their home-related purchases. HOYO is proud of our role in bringing people with disabilities and communities together in ways that benefit both.

Updated February 11, 2005.

Funding and support for the Texas Home of Your Own Coalition provided by Fannie Mae, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, Texas Council on Developmental Disabilities, and Loan, and private donations.

The views contained herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the funding agencies. No official endorsement should be inferred.