Through hard work and perseverance, and a little help from his friends at the Housing Authority of the City of Meriden (MHA), Edwin Torres, his wife Maria and their five children moved into their new home.

Torres family in front of their new home

Edwin enrolled in the MHA's Public Housing Homeownership Program  in July of 2004.  HUD's ROSS Homeownership Supportive Service grant  funded the program.  He immediately started the long process of rebuilding his credit and raising his income in order to afford to purchase a home in Meriden, Connecticut's expensive housing market.  Under the program, Edwin participated in a four week Basic Financial Skills class, a four week First Time Homeowner class and received ongoing counseling and support from the program's Case Manager to help him reach his goal.

Edwin and Maria Torres with their five children

When he was ready to close on a house, Edwin was able to match his down payment through the program's Individual Development Account funds, and received $5,000 from the City of Meriden to help him purchase his home.  The family receives the assistance of a Housing Choice Homeownership Voucher  under the Section 8 program to help ensure his mortgage will remain affordable for years to come.

Many agencies and entities contributed to Edwin's success, including the Section 8 and Public Housing Homeownership Coordinators, Consumer Credit Counseling Service and Catholic Charities, who worked tirelessly to help the Torres family achieve the dream of owning their own home.  Special thanks to the MHA's Executive Director, Andre Trudelle, and the MHA Board of Commissioners, who have made resident homeownership paramount to the agency's goals.

Content Archived: March 21, 2011