New bilingual housing counselor at NeighborWorks
Are you considering buying a home? Could you benefit from having someone help you figure out your finances ahead of time and walk you through the steps of the purchasing process?
Home ownership has been the basis for personal wealth building in this country for many, many years, and we at NeighborWorks of Grays Harbor want to encourage it for the health and welfare both of individuals and of our community.
Homeowners contribute to a healthy community through paying property taxes and maintaining the stability of the community as a workforce and service providers.
That’s why we are excited to introduce Evelyn Santiago, our recently certified housing counselor. And, we are especially thrilled that Evelyn can provide help to residents of Grays Harbor in English or Spanish, allowing us to more easily serve more members of our community!
Part of our mission is to reach out to as many underserved communities as possible in our county, and one of those communities is the Harbor’s growing Hispanic community. Evelyn can help people feel more comfortable as they are able to communicate in their primary language while discussing their financial affairs.
We recently closed a loan for a Hispanic family and Evelyn’s assistance was invaluable in communicating with the borrowers to understand the home-buying process.
Plus, Evelyn’s personal experience as a first-time homebuyer couldn’t be fresher! She and her husband signed papers and received the keys to their new home in Hoquiam in November! She knows first-hand how to save money for a down payment, qualify for a loan and go through the sometimes-emotional roller coaster of making offers on various houses.
A mother of four, who has two small home-based businesses, Evelyn is one of NeighborWorks’ success stories. Evelyn moved to Grays Harbor in 2015 as a young wife and mother, renting one of NeighborWorks 38 apartments. The opportunity to live at the units opened doors to get her GED and pursue college, where she earned a degree.
Then, she was hired by NeighborWorks in February of 2024. In September, she successfully completed the housing counselor certification course so she can teach others how to become homeowners. As her coworkers, we are very proud of her many accomplishments.
Her recently purchased home – four bedroom and two and a half baths, complete with a rec room and an extra lot, will be wonderful for her growing family.
“Now that I’ve been through a home purchasing process myself, I can tell clients how it will go, and share my experiences,” she said.
“I can help an individual or family with budgeting, with looking at their finances to figure out how to save money. If they have a bill collection issue, I can call on their behalf and make payment arrangements if they want. I can help them clean up their credit and prepare them to purchase a house,” she said.
While our services our typically for first-time homebuyers, anyone who hasn’t purchased a home for three years is considered a first-time homebuyer. Plus, anyone needing help budgeting and/or confronting debt can get our help for free.
“Home ownership is so important because instead of paying someone to rent, you are putting your money into something that you own,” Evelyn said.
Besides, in a rental, it’s possible the landlord may raise the rent or decide to sell your home. So, owning your own home is not just a wealth builder, it also provides people with security, and control over their own lives.
To talk to Evelyn, call between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday at (360) 533-7828 or e-mail her at ESantiago@aberdeen-nhs.com to make an appointment.
Eric Bjella is the executive director of NeighborWorks of Grays Harbor; a nonprofit organization committed to creating safe and affordable housing opportunities for all residents of Grays Harbor County. For questions about home repair, housing counseling, homebuyer education and financing, call 360-533-7828, listen to the extension picks that will best help you and leave a callback name and number.
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