Buffalo HUD Office Celebrates
Section 8 Homeownership Successes

HUD Field Office Director, Steve Banko, welcomes new Section 8 homeowners into their Rochester home.

New Section 8 homeowners being welcomed into their Lockport home.

New Section 8 house in Lockport

What we do at HUD and what it means to the lives of people was brought home recently when the staff in the Buffalo HUD office had the opportunity to celebrate the announcement of two new homeowners under HUD's Section 8 Homeownership program.

The first was in Rochester, NY where the Rochester Housing Authority has used the Section 8 program to put 11 new homeowners on the rolls. One of the 11 was a single mother who was the first one in her family to own a home. She worked with the Rochester Housing Authority and the Rochester Catholic Diocese where she received counseling and guidance. Ultimately she was successful in purchasing a home and making her dream a reality for her and her son. When asked if she ever thought she would own her own home, she said "No sir, but now that I know I can do this, I'm going to go and get my GED. I can do anything now."

In Lockport, NY, the Lockport Housing Authority worked with its first Section 8 homeowner. The single mother who bought her first home was staggered by the death of a daughter recently and it was feared the tragedy might derail her efforts toward self-sufficiency. Instead, the woman used her adversity as a rallying point and re-doubled her efforts to succeed where others might have failed. She was successful because she believed in herself and a dedicated community that used the tools HUD gave them to create new opportunities for people like her. She said "my mother used to tell me that dreams were for sleepers - we need to stop dreaming and start working because with this HUD program we can do this."

HUD can and does make a difference for the people we serve.

Content Archived: March 07, 2011