During Hispanic Heritage Month, this year, Jessica Rodriguez is living her American Dream. The 45-year-old first-time homebuyer struggled for years before finding a permanent, safe and secure place to live with the help of Habitat for Humanity Seminole-Apopka.
The experience changed her life, and today, Jessica and her husband, Oscar Aramendi, own their own home, and they are optimistic about their future.
The couple represent an emerging trend in the housing market. In Central Florida, a growing number of hardworking, low-income Hispanic families are finding that Habitat for Humanity Seminole-Apopka is a viable option to help achieve their dream of homeownership. Habitat helps low-income families qualify for and purchase a home affordable within their budget.
Habitat homeowners can cut their housing costs in half.
Following national market trends, Hispanic homebuyers in Central Florida have grown to represent 30 percent of Habitat Seminole-Apopka’s current homebuyer applicants, up from just 8 percent a few years ago. Nationwide, Latinos have been responsible for 35.6 percent of homeownership growth over the past decade, according to a 2022 report from the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHPREP), while making up less than 20 percent of the U.S. population.
Applicants for Habitat homes must meet a number of criteria to be accepted into the program, including a minimum credit score of 640, completing financial-preparedness classes and sweat equity hours designed to help build their house or another applicants’ home. A down payment is required and a mortgage at a reduced rate. For those that meet the criteria, it is likely the only way they will afford to buy a home in today’s escalating and unbalanced housing market.
Homeownership opens many doors – often leading to better job opportunities and increased savings that can then be invested in other goals, like a child’s education. Homeownership is the first step in building generational wealth in the U.S.
Rodriguez and Aramendi were able to cross that threshold, moving into their new home in December of 2022. It has been a transformative experience for them, as with so many others. Owning a home, for obvious reasons, means stability, a sense of accomplishment, safety and security.
While the homeownership rate for Latinos in Florida has increased from 50.4 percent in 1990 to 55.5 percent in 2022, it is still 20.9 percentage points lower than the white homeownership rate.
Habitat Seminole-Apopka is committed to opening up new opportunities to help increase homeownership for all hardworking, low-income Central Florida families.
But it's not just a numbers game defining the success of Rodriguez and Aramendi as Hispanic homeowners. You can sense the prideful joy as Rodriguez takes two visitors on a quick tour of her home, which includes three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
"I feel happy because it's a nice brand new house," she said. "And I have a space to park the car. I have a space for my husband, he works from home, so he has his own office, and then we have our master bedroom with a walk-in closet that I never dreamed of before. And also we have our guest room for our family."
"I feel I made it, and I'm very happy."
This year’s theme for Hispanic Heritage Month, “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together,” truly describes Jessica’s two-year partnership with Habitat and her journey to homeownership.
Those interested in a Habitat home can find out how to qualify and apply at: https://www.habitatseminoleapopka.org/apply
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