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Contents Success Stories
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But what they like the very best about their home is the independence, freedom and privacy it allows. "We can change things around the way we want to without having to ask permission," Karen exclaims with enthusiasm. "We get to decide who comes and goes," JT adds. These are important issues to JT and Karen, both of whom have personal experience with life in institutions. JT spent more than 30 years as a resident of a state school. Karen lived in a nursing home for a dozen years. In those days, neither imagined they would ever live independently, much less join the ranks of homeowners. "HOYO made it all happen for us," JT says, "from helping with the money to showing us how to be responsible and take care of things." Says Karen, HOYO is a real blessing to us. We're so happy here!" All the Cats We Want!
The walls are painted in shades that were popular at the time the house was built. The furniture-down to the candle holders on the dining room table- are in keeping with the style of the time. Mark and Tess have carefully researched every aspect and lovingly applied what they learned. Tess and Mark much prefer this setting to the apartments they lived in before. "We have better accessibility, more privacy, a big yard-and an investment," Tess says. "And we can have as many cats as we want to have." They would have bought a home sooner, but the cost of removing barriers and adding accessibility features pushed prices right out of their range. Then they learned about HOYO and became among the first in Texas to realize the benefits of the program. With HOYO to help finance modifications to make the house wheelchair accessible, the Shermans-and their three cats-could finally make the move they dreamed of. Talk About a Dream Come True!
He regained his sight and speech, but the brain damage left him with a permanent cognitive disability. His budding career in marketing and customer service came to a screeching halt. The young couple regrouped and adjusted to living on Pam's income and David's disability benefits. Their new life required sacrifices, one of the most painful being postponing-indefinitely-the dream of buying their first home. "We didn't think we could ever be homeowners," Pam says. "We had pretty good credit, but with ongoing medical expenses and reduced income, we couldn't save enough for the down payment." Their longing for their own home only increased with the arrival of their daughter, Sarah. "All we wanted was a house and a yard with a fence to give Sarah a safe place to play," says David, who describes his current job as "Mr. Mom." Then David's cognitive therapist passed along some information about HOYO. The two jumped at the opportunity and set out immediately to find out more about the program. That was in the fall of 1998. By March 1999, they were in their own cozy home-with a yard and a fence and plenty of neighborhood kids for Sarah to play with. With down payment assistance and a low interest mortgage, David and Pam credit HOYO with giving them a "stepping stone" to the future. "We never would have thought it would be possible." Moving On
That was 32 years ago. Today finds mother and daughter living in Pflugerville, Texas, in a brand new house that is quickly filling up with personal treasures they have collected for years. “In our hearts,” Comfort says, “we always knew that someday we would have a home of our very own.” The trip from Nigeria to Pflugerville started some 14 years ago. Unable to find satisfactory services for Olachi in her home country, Comfort sent the teenager —who has cerebral palsy and other disabilities—to Austin to attend school and get the medical assistance she needed to thrive. Comfort stayed in Nigeria to tend to her three small businesses that were paying for Olachi’s care. But it didn’t work. Olachi’s health and development declined. Comfort abandoned her work and income, and moved to Austin to be with Olachi. It wasn’t long before their savings ran out. Comfort paid rent in a series of apartments with whatever income she could generate as a caretaker and with other odd jobs. In 1999, on the advice of their apartment manager, Comfort attended homeownership classes at Homeward Bound, a program to assist first-time homeowners. There, she learned about HOYO and, at first, was skeptical about whether the program designed for people with disabilities and their families would really help. But her skepticism quickly vanished. HOYO provided home modification funds and down payment assistance, helped Comfort get a low-interest mortgage and guided her through every step of the process. Living in their own home now, the two continue to rebuild their lives. Olachi is pursuing her interests in art and gospel music. When she’s not working, Comfort attends night classes at the University of Texas to advance her interest in producing films and television shows for children. Says Comfort, “UCP Texas and HOYO made our dream a reality.” A Good Omen
At the time he heard about HOYO, Otis was sharing an apartment with a friend. It bothered him to be “throwing away” so much money on rent, but buying something seemed out of the question in light of his financial circumstances. In spite of his doubt that HOYO would really be able to help him, Otis called. HOYO could help, he learned. “It was an amazing thing for me,” he says. Otis attended a course for first-time homebuyers and learned how to resolve his credit problems. HOYO provided down payment assistance and home modification funds, and helped him get a low-interest mortgage. The signs of progress encouraged Otis, who was beginning to feel that his life might be taking a turn for the better. Then, as he was searching for a house to buy, he came upon the best omen yet. “The name of the street just jumped off the page of the realtor’s sheet,” he remembers. The house was just a few doors down from one that Otis and his family had rented a few years before. He knew the neighbors. His kids still had friends on the block. It was a comfortable place to be. “I knew that was the house I wanted to call home.” And today, he does. “This has been a life saver,” Otis says. “It’s more than a house. It has renewed my ability to feel like a productive member of society.” |
JT Templeton and Karen Greebon don't waste words when it comes to describing what they like best about homeownership. With HOYO's assistance, they moved into their very own home in 1997. They're quick to point out the features that accommodate their two-wheelchair family: automatic doors, a huge roll-in shower and a great deck and ramp leading to their back yard. They appreciate these things and show them off with great pride. 
Stepping into Tess and Mark Sherman's home is a little bit like walking into history. Their house was built in 1928 and had been upgraded and modernized by the progression of occupants since then. When Tess and Mark made it their home in April 1997, they immediately started to work to return the small, old house to its original glory. 
David and Pam Franco had only been married for three months in 1993 when they came face-to-face with the reality of how quickly life-and plans for living it-can change. While undergoing surgery for a congenital heart condition, the flow of oxygen to David's brain was interrupted. David was temporarily blind and unable to speak. 
When Comfort Ezeh gave birth to her daughter, Olachi, she was a teenager and unwed.
Otis Larry learned about HOYO through a news report.