Tag Archives: homeownership

Habitat Success Story- Meet the Jimenez Family

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At Teton Habitat, we believe that everyone deserves a decent place to live. Through donations, volunteering, and the support of our community, we are able to provide truly affordable housing in Teton County. 

In 2015, Habitat built four townhomes in the Daisy Bush subdivision located in East Jackson. The land was purchased from St. John’s Medical Center. This month, we are excited to feature a Habitat family who is still thriving in their home. 

Rosalba and Juan Jimenez and their three children were excited about their Habitat home, as it allowed them to realize two dreams – to own a home of their own and to stay in Jackson, an area they love due to its beauty and tranquility. Born in Tlaxcala, Mexico, Juan has lived in the United States for 30 years. He has lived in Jackson for over 10 years.

Before purchasing their Habitat home, they lived in a small, two bedroom, one bathroom house.The two teenagers (boy and girl) shared one bedroom while Juan, Rosalba, and their youngest child shared the other bedroom. The house was poorly insulated. 

Juan is a custodian for the Teton County School District and also works part-time as a laborer for Architectural Stone and Tile. Rosalba is a homemaker and enjoys caring for her family and making crafts for her loved ones. Together, they enjoy spending time with their children in their own home. 

The Jimenz’s monthly rent was $1200. Their monthly mortgage, including loan payment, land lease, property taxes, and homeowner insurance, is now $570. Habitat partner families put in 500 hours of their own ‘sweat equity’, save for a downpayment, and take monthly homeowner classes.

It is through donations that we can build truly affordable homes for families like the Jimenez’s, and it is through the help of our volunteers that these homes become a reality. You can donate directly to Teton Habitat HERE, or Volunteer HERE. 

Positive Outcomes of Homeownership

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It is no surprise that homeownership leads to many positive outcomes, for individuals and families. But did you know that those positive outcomes benefit our collective economic stability, civic and social engagement, reduce our environmental footprint, and more?

Teton Habitat is excited to share the following research findings about the outcomes of homeownership from Habitat for Humanity International: 

Through a series of evidence briefs, Habitat is bringing to light research on the impact that affordable housing has on individuals and families at home and beyond. This brief provides an overview of how families can prosper with greater access to decent, affordable housing. Check out our highlights below and download the full brief.

Research highlights

Wealth and financial stability

  • U.S. homeowners have an average net wealth that is 400% higher than that of renters with similar demographics and earnings, and home equity represents the largest proportion of wealth (34.5%) for U.S. households.
  • Research has shown a correlation between homeownership and increased wealth, with each year of homeownership tending to be associated with an additional $9,500 in net wealth, on average.
  • In 2019, net wealth was lower for lower-income ($9,300), Black ($24,100) and Hispanic/Latinx households ($36,050) than for higher-income ($1,589,300) and white households ($189,100). Home equity represented a larger share of net wealth for low-income households and Black and Hispanic/Latinx households.​​

Civic and social engagement​​​​​

  • Homeowners are more likely to vote in local elections than renters in comparable neighborhoods, and this likelihood increases with the degree of neighborhood disadvantage in low-income urban areas.​​​​​​
  • Regardless of the length of time they have owned a home, homeowners are 1.3 times more likely to become involved in a neighborhood group and to join a civic association than renters. The increased participation in neighborhood groups holds true in low-income neighborhoods as well.

Environment​​​​​

  • For older single-family homes, weatherization reduces low-income households’ total energy costs by 12.4% within the first year. This is substantial given that low-income households have higher energy burdens, spending three times the share of their annual income (7.2%) on energy costs as compared with other households (2.3%).

Education

  • Children of low-income homeowners are 11% more likely to graduate from high school and are 4.5% more likely to complete post-secondary education than children of low-income renters.
  • Homeowners can leverage their housing wealth to finance post-secondary education for their children, especially lower- and moderate-income households. For lower- and moderate-income households, a $10,000 increase in housing wealth raises the probability of college attendance by 14%.

Health

  • Decreasing housing costs for cost-burdened households (those spending more than half of their household expenditures on housing) releases resources to spend on nutritious food and healthcare and limits overcrowding to minimize the spread of respiratory infectious diseases.

 

Would you like the opportunity to be a homeowner in the Greater Teton Area? Learn more here. Would you like to support the mission of Teton Habitat? Donate here. 

 

Article Source: https://www.habitat.org/our-work/impact/research-series-outcomes-associated-with-homeownership