Sitemap
For the past four years, Ashley has lived in rentals with her daughter and boyfriend. She knew rentals were temporary, and she wanted to own a home where her family could live comfortably. A little over a year ago, she tried to pursue homeownership but was denied pre-approval. “I was told that my credit score wasn't high enough.”
Ashley spent the next year working to improve her credit and explored different lending options. “I was approved through a different mortgage company, and I started looking at houses, and everything just started progressing a little bit more. Around November, I switched lenders again, and then everything became more solid. It just brought out, like, a lot of emotions,” Ashley said. “This is all I ever wanted for me and my girls — just our own place, something to call home. I'm from Maryland, and it costs too much money to live there. So to actually be able to buy a house here it means a lot.”
Ashley had heard of YNDC through Catholic Charities, but it was her realtor who introduced her to the organization’s programs and the rehabilitated house with the yellow front door that would ultimately become her home. “When we found this house, he found out it was a YNDC house, and it just made it all better because you guys do beautiful homes and you make it real for people.” She loves bold colors, so when she saw that the front door was a bright yellow, she knew this was going to be her home.
Ashley joined YNDC’s housing counseling program and works with the counselor to stick to her budget. “Alex helped me see where I was spending too much money and where I needed to put my money. I’ve done a lot better since hooking up with Alex and working on my budget because working on my budget got me here.”
Since joining the counseling program, she recommends it to everyone, including her coworkers. “I work with a lot of girls, and we’re CNAs. All we want is a home because we take care of people, and we see that they no longer have a home. So, just talking with them about it and letting them know about the program, the house, and everything – they're excited. A couple of them took the information from me and actually looked into it.”
-Ashley Tate, New Homeowner, Housing Counseling Client