City Breathes New Life to Home Destroyed By Fire

Austin,Texas: Today, Floyd and Katie Mae Baker relived the day in 1962 when they walked through the doors of their first home as a married couple. Forty years later, the Bakers are again, gracing the doors of their newly reconstructed home, that was destroyed in a fire last year. The second homecoming for the Bakers was made possible through the Austin Housing Finance Corporation's Homeowner Rehabilitation Loan Program.

The Bakers are both native Texans who moved to Austin in the late 1940s. After marrying in 1950, the couple settled into their home which was built in 1934. For nearly 40 years, the Bakers loved their home, the people of the neighborhood and the nearby churches. Their lives were suddenly disruppted in September of 2001 when a fire claimed their home and belongings.

The home suffered extensive damage and it was infeasible for the Bakers to bring the home to City code. For the first time in 40 years, the Bakers were faced with the prospect of leaving the neighborhood, home and church they had always known. It was during this time, their daughter, Brenda Howard, learned of the Austin Housing Finance Corporation's Homeowner Rehabilitation Loan Program. The program assists homeowners with repairs like foundation, roofing, plumbing and electrical work. In the event that a home is economically infeasible to repair, such as the case with the Baker home, the AHFC demolishes the existing home and reconstructs a new one.

After learning about the Homeowner Rehabiliation Loan Program, the Bakers applied for assistance and shortly thereafter, was approved for a reconstructed home. What makes this program unique in comparison to traditional home improvement loans are the terms which offer interest rates as low as zero percent; no credit checks; no monthly payments and a quick and easy qualifying process.

"This program [Homeowner Rehabilitation Loan Program] was a God-send," said Brenda Howard. "I don't know what we would have done without it. This was my parent's last chance--our last resort and they are so excited about their new home," she said.

For more information on the Homeowner Rehabilitation Loan Program, contact the AHFC Community Lending Office at 476-FUND (3863) or visit www.cityofaustin.org/ahfc.

The Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Office's mission is to provide housing, community development, and small business development services to benefit residents so they can have access to livable neighborhoods and increase their opportunities for self-sufficiency.

The Austin Housing Finance Corporation was created in 1979 and assists Austin citizens with first-time homebuyer and home repair programs. The AHFC's primary mission is to generate and implement strategic housing finance solutions to benefit low-and moderate-income residents of the City of Austin.

The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Please call 974-3100 (voice) or 974-3102 (TDD) for assistance. This project is made possible by funding from HUD through the City of Austin.

CONTACT: Brenda Ham, (512) 974-3175 (voice) or (512) 802-7105 (pager)