Justin and kids

Success Stories

Empowered by Home: Justin’s Story

Justin and kids

An assistant principal at Branham High School and a single dad, Justin Ponzio dreamed of having a home for his kids – ages five and six – to live and grow. When he found the Empower Homebuyers SCC program in 2019, the trio lived in a rental near a busy frontage road that was far…

Megan Ostiller.Empower

Success Stories

Empowered by Home: Megan’s Story

Megan Ostiller.Empower

Megan, a Bay Area native and a special education teacher at Union School District in San Jose, had been living in a tiny apartment in Campbell. In her third year of teaching, she knew she wanted to stay in her community and was ready for something bigger but like so many educators in the region,…

Karen Empower

Success Stories

Empowered by Home: Karen and Ngoc’s Story

Karen Empower

After emigrating from Vietnam, Karen and her husband Ngoc worked in the Bay Area for 14 years – she in banking and him as a technician – and were renting incrementally smaller living spaces even as their family grew to include two small children. When they found Empower Homebuyers SCC in 2019, they were on…

Michele and Don and Curtis

Success Stories

Home over Time: Michele & Don’s Story

Michele and Don and Curtis

Michele, an elementary schoolteacher, worked with our homeownership team in 2016 for our Below Market Purchase (BMP) program we administer for the city of Santa Clara. We caught up with her in 2018 – two years after she and her husband Don moved in, and they both expressed joy at living in a place where…

Empowered by Home: Dmitry’s Story

Success Stories, Updates

Empowered by Home: Dmitry’s Story

Empowered by Home: Dmitry’s Story

Dmitry, a teacher for the visually impaired, has worked for the Cupertino Union School District for the last four years. He loves the community he serves and could not imagine working anywhere else.  Last fall, Dmitry first discussed his dream to own a home with his parents and they suggested he look into local down…

Murillo Family 2020

Success Stories

Empowered by Home: Katie and Carlos’ Story

Murillo Family 2020

Katie and Carlos first heard about the Empower Homebuyers SCC program in November 2018 when a family member told them about the very first town hall presentation, led by Supervisor Cindy Chavez, about the new Santa Clara County program for first-time homebuyers. Born and raised in the area, one a city engineer and the other…

Laura Jones with Pistachio the dog

Success Stories

Empowered by Home: Laura’s Story

Laura Jones with Pistachio the dog

By: Laura Jones, schoolteacher, Santa Clara Unified I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase my first home through the Empower Homebuyers SCC program.  I first heard about the program in November 2018 and I closed on my home in May 2019.  As a third generation native Californian as well as a third generation…

Villas on the Park ribbon

Success Stories, Updates

A Grand Opening for Villas on the Park

Villas on the Park ribbon

The morning of March 6 was a morning long in the making. Villas on the Park – an 83 home permanent supportive housing development in San Jose just up the street from our office – had its grand opening. Jim Silverwood, President and CEO of Affirmed Housing correctly referred to the project as “a Rubik’s…

Villas on the Park in downtown San Jose

Success Stories, Updates

Villas on the Park Starts Welcoming Residents

Villas on the Park in downtown San Jose

We believe our communities are more diverse, sustainable, and vibrant when everyone has a safe, stable and affordable place to live. While we’ve been able to practice this belief throughout the thirteen county greater Bay Area, we’ve had the pleasure of seeing it up close, too. Villas on the Park, an 84 apartment complex on…