Re-entry easier with help and a home

Andre Thomas just became a new homeowner in the Chicago Lawn Micro Market Recovery Program (MMRP) neighborhood. Ask Thomas if he thought he would ever own a home and just the look on his face is priceless. “Absolutely not,” says Thomas. When I look over on the table, I see a full set of keys sitting there, with what looks like his car keys, some work keys, and house keys – a symbolization of belongings he never thought he would own.

One week after moving into his renovated home, Thomas stopped by the NHS Central office to surprise three of my colleagues with flowers, Flo (Forrestine) Bernard, Patricia Patenoude and Nina Gonzalez, who were instrumental in
his journey to owning a home. After hugs were exchanged and a couple of tears shed, Thomas told me he felt forever indebted to Bernard (on the far left of the below photo), homeownership consultant at NHS. Click on this video link to hear Thomas share his memorable experience of buying his first home.
 
When Thomas came to Bernard’s homebuyer education class, she remembers him stating, “ ‘When I came to your first class, I was scared to come back because you made me face reality and realize there was a lot of work to do, that I did not want to confront.’ ”
 
Bernard continues, “I tell everyone to come to the  NHS homebuyer education class because it is so important to know what you are preparing for, from budgeting, savings, and understanding your credit to the lending process and closing. The great thing about the class is the in-depth knowledge you’ll possess of maintaining to be a homeowner for the long-term. Home ownership is a life style change that comes with many great rewards”
 
Thomas strongly concurs, “Being a homeowner impacts my life in a big way. It's an investment. It makes me more responsible. I'm more aware of the spending that I do now and it makes you take advantage of insurances and protection that I normally would overlook.”
 
Thomas sat down with me to talk about his path of turning his life around that led to buying a home. He is soft spoken and displays a humble nature when talking about his life story. His stories are so vivid, it’s like one is present with him when he describes that moment in time. We start out talking about Thomas living in a single room, with one small window and a door that was always locked during his incarceration. This following is an edited version of that conversation, including additional remarks from Ms. Bernard and Mike Reardon, NHS Chicago Lawn Neighborhood director. Q: How did you choose to live in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood?
 
AT: In 2007, I left prison and moved back to Chicago. I was staying at a halfway house on N. Ashland Avenue and I heard about the  Inner City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) pilot program, Project Re- Store, for ex-offenders. So I became a member of their organization and soon after started living in their halfway house located in the 6000 block of S. Washtenaw Avenue. When I got this opportunity to move to Chicago Lawn, I made my mind up that I wanted to be part of the solution of helping others.
 
Q: What did you know about this neighborhood?
 
AT: I didn’t know anything about Chicago Lawn except that I heard it was a community heavily into gangs and drug dealing. I grew up in Englewood and never went west of Western Avenue.
 
Q: How did IMAN’s Re-Entry Program help you?
 
AT: I developed leadership skills to transition back in society. I started with small jobs in construction to earn money. They also have an outreach program to mentor youth. So I would go out in the streets to talk with youth about my past life. In 2008, I received a call from the IMAN Executive Director, who helped me get an interview with Coca-Cola. I got the job all on my own and to this day, I am still with the company, working as a merchandiser, where I drive around Chicago to stock shelves.

Mike Reardon, NHS Chicago Lawn Neighborhood Director, shared how important it is to collaborate with stakeholders. “IMAN acquired and rehabbed two MMRP properties. They are a terrific organization and a key partner in the neighborhood. Nina, Flo, and Patricia did an awesome job on a complicated project that had great positive impact on the neighborhood.”
 
Q: What was your home buying experience like?

Renovated kitchen in Thomas’ single-family home

 

AT: As part of the IMAN program, I was taught to save money for a down payment on a house. After graduating from that program, I went to live on my own in 2014. During that time, I learned about NHS and the MMRP/NSP Purchase Assistance Forgivable Loan Program. I took the eight-hour homebuyer education class with Ms. Bernard in Roseland. I have to admit – after the first class, I was so scared – I thought I would never go back. But I did go back and Ms. Bernard made me feel really comfortable.
 
Q: What did you learn in the NHS HomeBuyer Education Class?
 
AT: Ms. Bernard broke it down in simple terms. I became more knowledgeable on how to save money to purchase a home. It is important because the more a person knows about the home buying process, they will be more prepared at reaching their goals by making better choices and financial decisions of achieving their dream, the American dream of becoming a Homeowner. I’ll always be grateful to her.
 
At the end of our conversation, Thomas said there is no room for misunderstanding with NHS throughout the whole process. “When I met the loan officer, Ms. Gonzalez, it was about execution.” He continues, “Then I applied for the $25,000 in MMRP/NSP Purchase Assistance [Note: In 2016, $15,000 is available for MMRP Purchase Assistance up to 120 percent of area median income]. Ms. Patenoude walked with me in hand-in-hand to complete the paperwork and was very informative.”