Sherrell Leland’s relentless home pursuit proves there is no such a thing as an impossible dream.
Leland had been renting from The Philadelphia Housing Authority scattered sites for more than 5 years. On November 2015, determined to fulfill her dream of being a home owner she came to Esperanza for housing counseling in order to buy her first home. She was very eager to learn how the process works and what documentation she needed to provide to start on the right foot. Leland got approval from the American Heritage Federal Credit Union but did not have all the closing costs to complete the home purchase.
Esperanza’s Housing Counseling worked with their partner organization CEIBA and their IDA Matching Savings program where participants get $2 for every $1 they save for closing costs and down payment. Meanwhile, Leland attended monthly workshops for first time buyers and several sessions throughout the year to prepare for the process.
On June 2016, Leland fulfilled her dream and can finally say “there is no place like home.” Both Esperanza’s Housing Counseling program and the Director of IDA’s Housing Counseling assisted her with settlement.
In 2008, Esperanza’s Housing Counseling was certified by the U.S Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a national housing counseling intermediary, and we are one of only two Hispanic organizations within the total 25 HUD-approved national intermediaries.