For years, Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity has been a beacon of hope for low-income individuals seeking homeownership and home repair opportunities, and now, they have a new tool in their toolbox.
The longtime nonprofit has introduced a new virtual program called, “Habitat Home School,” a monthly interactive online class that teaches its participants how to become financially ready to apply for Greater Springfield Habitat’s homeownership program.
The goal is to help people become more prepared for when they eventually apply for homeownership opportunities with Habitat, according to Olga Callirgos, the GSHFH homeowner programs coordinator and the creator of this project.
“I noticed a decline in financial education in our area,” Callirgos said. “I noticed that not a lot of people know how to read their credit report, how to improve their credit, what it takes to be financially ready to take the next step of like looking for a house or buying a house; so, I just really wanted the community to be more knowledgeable and more prepared if the housing market ever fixes itself.”
According to Callirgos, the monthly series is essentially a pre-application process that helps people become more prepared from the financial review aspect of the organization’s application process.
“It’s not mandatory, but highly recommended as it’s a positive stepping stone for anyone interested in homeownership,” Callirgos said. “It’s definitely a good idea to attend all of them so there is no missed information.”
The program will cover a different topic each month, according to the nonprofit. The inaugural class, “Building Strong Credit,” will be conducted in English on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 5 p.m. and in Spanish on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 5 p.m.
Callirgos said that Greater Springfield Habitat also has plans for a budgeting and savings class in March and a banking one-on-one class in April.
“In 2023, we had a record number of applications submitted, but there were also, in my opinion, a record number of individuals that just weren’t ready for the next step upon credit review and income review; and they feel lost,” Callirgos said. “I don’t want people to feel lost…I want everything to be a gradual process so it can be less stressful.”
Each Habitat Home School session will last one to two hours, and people should expect to participate in engaging activities and ask questions, according to the nonprofit.
The courses will be taught by representatives from Operation HOPE, which is a nonprofit that offers financial literacy, coaching, and advocacy for low and moderate-income individuals and communities.
The program is free, according to Habitat. To register for the English class, visit tinyurl.com/44d5xyx2, and tinyurl.com/2cxvd3jz for the Spanish class.
“I want to enhance that [financial] education for adults and make it free, so it is more accessible to everybody,” Callirgos said. “We want everybody in the community to feel included.”
GSHFH is a housing ministry dedicated to strengthening communities by empowering low-income families to change their lives and the lives of future generations through homeownership and home repair opportunities. Over the last 38 years, GSHFH has helped roughly 100 local families realize their dream of homeownership.
The organization will host an open house on Feb. 19 at the East Forest Park Library at which people can learn more about what the organization is doing in the community.
