VCCDC Community Matters Newsletter – Dec. 2021 — Empowering Sylvia to Keep Her Very Special Home

December 2021

80-year-old Sylvia Johnson has lived in her Paso Robles home for 27 years after building it from the ground up alongside her husband after her two children had flown the nest. Tragically, Sylvia’s husband passed away unexpectedly at the age of 55 before the house was finished, leaving Sylvia to continue the build alone. “I was in there every day it was being built,” remembers Sylvia, “and because of losing my husband during that time my home is more special to me than anything.”

When it came to refinancing her home in September of this year, Sylvia felt a little nervous about the process and dreaded reading all the paperwork. When she spoke on the phone with Gaby, VCCDC’s Homeownership Specialist, her fears melted away.

“It was like she was sitting at the table with me. I thought I knew a lot about refinance but I couldn’t believe how much I learned from Gaby! I’m not easily impressed and boy was I amazed. Through our coaching sessions, Gaby really knew what she was talking about and I felt I could trust her with this big decision”.

Hearing about Sylvia’s relief and joy thanks to Gaby’s help is heart-warming, especially knowing how important her home is to her. Together, we’ve empowered her with the ability to keep it for years to come!

If you are a homeowner our Homeownership Specialists can assist you with valuable information and guidance on maintaining and preserving your home. VCCDC provides workshops and individual coaching on record keeping, budgeting, home maintenance and repairs, what to do if one falls behind on mortgage payments, budget and creating a new spending plan to meet your needs as a homeowner, guidance with mortgage refinancing and more.

We are grateful for our generous partners who are committed to investing in the communities we serve. Thanks to their support we can ensure that VCCDC continues assisting local individuals and families to find a place to call home.

Bank of America has supported us with $50,000 in major grant funding to provide financial education, homeownership assistance, down payment assistance, and lending counseling. Thank you to Michelle Yee and Midge Campbell-Thomas of Bank of America for stopping by our office to present us with a check!

This month we received the Union Bank MUFG Foundation Grant for $10,000. This operating grant supports our homeownership counseling and financial education programs at VCCDC.

Imagine your dream of homeownership becoming reality. In the process, you’ve felt a sense of accomplishment and overwhelming joy. Your efforts have paid off and you now have a place to call home where you can begin to create special holiday moments with family and friends.

At Ventura County Community Development Corporation we know brighter futures start at home. Homeownership is the cornerstone to a family’s economic, environmental, and social well-being, and providing financial education, homeownership coaching, and affordable loans are still as important today as they were twenty years ago. Overall, we’ve assisted 18,000 families and individuals, helped 2,700 prepare, achieve, or preserve homeownership, invested in community revitalization, and developed tools for resiliency and family wealth-building.

Here is a video of one family’s story we’d like to share with you – meet Taylor, Daylie, and Henley Hunt!

Homeownership is empowerment and VCCDC’s financial education and investments allow more families like The Hunts build financial stability and achieve their homeownership dream. Help create a brighter tomorrow for local families with your donation to VCCDC and click the button below.

At our anniversary event in October we acknowledged a few staff members who have been with us for a remarkable 38 years combined. A special thank you goes out to Marisol Arzola, Alex Vega and Keily Victoria for the huge contributions to VCCDC’s success over the years. Mil gracias!

“My family and I are recipients of the VCCDC Homebuying Program. Therefore, I decided to serve as a VCCDC Board Member as I care about the organization’s mission, vision, and cause which align with my personal values and passion as a leader.”

– Jasmine Padilla

We’re thrilled to welcome our newest Board Member, Jasmine Padilla, onto VCCDC’s Board of Directors. Not only does she bring a range of skills and experience from the Education Field, but she is also a recipient of our Homeownership Program and purchased her Bakersfield home last year. Read more about Jasmine:

We are excited to announce that VCCDC has been awarded $500,000 through the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Program! Through grant awards and trainings, the CDFI Program invests in and builds the capacity of CDFIs, empowering them to grow, achieve organizational sustainability, and contribute to the revitalization of their communities.

The Hope to Home – Ventura County Program is back! This deferred loan program, with funds provided by the County of Ventura, can help make your dream of homeownership in Ventura County possible! Schedule a free phone consultation today to learn how you can get up to $23,000 towards the purchase of your own home: www.vccdc.org/app.

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START OFF 2022 RIGHT AND REGISTER FOR OUR HOMEBUYER WORKSHOP NOW!

Get the information you need to make the best home buying decisions! Learn about credit, budgeting, mortgage loans, homebuying assistance programs, the escrow process, home insurance and more directly from experts in the field!

VCCDC Office Closed:

December 24 – December 31

The VCCDC office will be closed Friday, December 24 and Friday, December 31. With limited staff availability from December 27 – December 30th. To contact a staff member directly during this time please see our staff directory: www.vccdc.org/directory. Wishing you a happy holiday season!

Our Mission:

“To strengthen and sustain vibrant communities by empowering and enabling low-to-moderate income individuals and families to build wealth through education and homeownership with a primary focus on serving low-to-moderate income clients”.

All loans subject to approval. Certain conditions & fees apply. This is not an offer to extend credit to any individual who may be entitled to a more complete disclosure per RESPA, TILA, HOEPA or any other more applicable federal, state, or local law or regulation. Rates, terms, fees, products, programs and equity requirements are subject to change without notice. For qualified borrowers only. Down payment assistance available for eligible first time homebuyers, not all applicants will qualify for all sources of down payment. This is not intended as a solicitation if you are currently working with another brokerage. VCCDC is a mortgage broker licensed with the California Dept. of Real Estate #01521885; NMLS #347041