It’s June 21st so it means two things: the official start of summer and homeownership month!
It’s a time to celebrate the nearly universal American dream of home ownership but also promote ways we can help people close the distance between today and their dream. It’s also a good time to reflect on who we’ve been able to help so far – like the Aufdermauer family.
As some of you may remember, Christian Aufdermauer was our special guest at Investor Briefing back in March, when he talked of his experience with the City of Santa Clara’s Below Market Program (BMP) administered by Housing Trust. He guessed that without that program, he and his family of five would be living in a tiny two-bedroom rental paying at least $3,000 a month or sharing space with his in-laws in Hollister. But what they have thanks to the program is confidence, peace of mind and a sense of ownership.
The home they live in is a 4-bedroom, 3.5 bath townhouse with access to a park and pool – great for summer! – but also an extra bedroom for foster youth: so far the family has hosted a 10 year-old girl for two months before she was able to return back home to live with her family and today they have a teenage boy living with them working towards independence.
We’ve asked different people from all walks of life what owning a home means, and the Aufdermauer family shows owning a home means a lot more than middle-class symbolism. It’s a safe place for a family to live and help others.
We’re thankful we were able to help Christian’s family find #ABayAreaHome and look forward to assisting others in the greater Bay Area achieve their dreams.