Imagine working a full-time job earning well above minimum wage as a teacher, a police officer or a librarian, yet struggling to pay your electricity bill or to buy a new winter coat because your rent or mortgage payment takes more than half of your income. That's the situation our famlies, seniors and persons living with disabilities face every day.

Owning a home is a dream shared by many Americans, and in fact, by people around the world. Within its 13-county service area, Sheen Housing has assisted numerous families of all ethnic backgrounds and with varying degrees of financial resources to achieve that goal of home ownership.

Sheen Housing fulfills its mission by providing housing counseling, pre- and post-purchase/homebuyer counseling, foreclosure prevention/default counseling, reverse mortgage counseling for seniors, and closing cost assistance. To get a "leg up", sometimes all that's needed is a little boost.

Newly constructed home affordable to first time homebuyers.

How to Apply
Sheen Housing's application packet is now online. You can retrieve the forms using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

• Criteria for Home Ownership Assistance (Please read this document before downloading the Home Ownership Application Form)
  
• Home Ownership Assistance Form
• Foreclosure Prevention Program

The following are some case histories that will give you an indication of the essential services Sheen Housing provides:

"The Perfect Home."

Dawn and her three children were renters for nearly 7 years.  She and her children moved in with her parents to begin saving for a home of their own.  After a long, uphill battle with credit and savings, there was always something that cropped up as an emergency, she and her three children are happily settled into their new home. 

Dawn completed her housing education and counseling program and was able to borrow funds through Sheen Housing to complete her closing.  Dawn agrees, “Keeping an eye on the goal makes homeownership a reality for those who might not have been able to buy a home without the assistance of homeownership programs.”

"A Home of Our Own."

Tara and her young daughter were tired of renting.  “It wasn’t getting us anywhere.  It was like pouring money down the drain.”  So, she did some researching.  After several phone calls, she contacted Sheen Housing to find out about home ownership opportunities and class schedules.  “One of the best parts about Sheen Housing was that they took into consideration my schedule and my time.  They were able to accommodate my request for educational sessions that worked for me.”

 
Tara finished her education and counseling and has just closed on her home.  “Having a two bedroom home, one for each of us is absolutely fantastic!” 

 

"Fulfilling Dreams."

As a single mother of two whose annual income consisted of a store clerk’s pay and small support checks, Ms. H dreamed of owning her own home.  Her children would have their own yard to play in.  She would have space for a small garden to supplement their food budget.

 
Ms. H thought that the dream was just that, a dream.  However, with hard work and dedication to clearing up her credit and tucking away small amounts of money toward closing, that dream has become a reality.  Ms. H learned how to budget so that it would allow for unexpected circumstances.  She also learned how credit and the use of credit could affect her family long-term.  “We love our home!”