COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa. (KMTV) — Buying a new home can be challenging, which is why NeighborWorks Home Solutions is helping people in Council Bluffs and Omaha make that step.
The program works like this: it offers up to $30,000 to people who typically don't make enough money for all the costs of buying a home.
"To assist with your closing costs, to provide the bank required down payment or portion of that anyway and then also some affordability," said Courtney Harter, Council Bluffs community development director.
NeighborWorks also provides education through its partners so that people can make informed home-buying decisions.
"It's creating opportunity. It's creating wealth and equity inside their home and they have to better understand how to sustain this," said David Hazelwood, NeighborWorks CEO.
Sharon Miller is a resident of one of the homes NeighborWorks worked on. For her, the program helped her start anew after her husband unexpectedly died.
"Like,I have a place now, like I have a purpose, I have — like everything just fell into place. It was pretty cool," said Miller.
The process can take a while as the nonprofit builds its homes from the ground up.
"Our main goal with getting people into their new homes is that everything is healthy and efficient for them," said Rob Klepfer, NeighborWorks housing development director.
Even though it was a two-year process for Miller to get into her home, she said she wouldn't have had it any other way.
"Everybody that I knew was expecting it to be just some little house that they threw together, nobody was expecting the details."
Over the years, NeighborWorks has helped more than 120 people find single-family housing. That's over $2 million that have gone to help people like Miller start new chapters of their lives.
NeighborWorks partners with several local banks, other businesses and community organizations to promote affordable and sustainable housing. More information about the program can be found on their website at: nwhomesolutions.org
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