Past Programs

Esperanza’s housing initiatives have benefited hundreds of Hispanic families, giving them the tools and the necessary information to realize the dream of becoming homeowners. Credit Smart and Reaching the Dream are two of the initiatives that have made this possible.

Credit Smart
CreditSmart/CreditSmart Español is a curriculum developed by Freddie Mac. Our project with Freddie Mac was collaborative: churches, organizations, and individuals affiliated with Esperanza would actively assist in bringing to Latino consumers valuable consumer credit education that has been developed by Freddie Mac and others. We conducted training opportunities at churches in Camden, NJ; Philadelphia, PA; and Bethlehem, PA. We did this by recommending individuals to be trained as instructors to deliver the curriculum to consumers. Upon successful completion of an instructor training course the candidates became instructors authorized to teach the curriculum at community workshops.

Reaching the Dream
The purpose of the Reaching the Dream (RTD) homeownership project was to educate participants from faith- and community-based organizations so that they could promote minority homeownership among the constituents through follow-up workshops. Through the RTD training, participants were acquainted with the necessary steps to become a homeowner and how to deliver a comprehensive homebuyer education program based on recognized national standards used to turn thousands of prospective homebuyers into satisfied customers. They were exposed to the best materials and methods to train homebuyers to shop for a home, get a mortgage loan, improve their budget and credit profiles, and maintain their home and finances after purchase.