Austin, Texas, November 18, 2021 – As the holiday season quickly approaches, a family in Seguin now has a new place to call home thanks to the combined efforts of Guadalupe Valley Habitat for Humanity, Habitat for Humanity Texas, and the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs Department (TDHCA).

Texas is one of the fastest growing states in the nation, with its population expected to grow between 16-18% from 2020-2050. To keep pace with this growth over the next 10 years, Texas must add 108,872 housing units each and every year (Texas Real Estate Research Center).

Currently, a single parent in Guadalupe County who earns minimum wage must work a staggering 118 hours a week to afford a two-bedroom apartment, highlighting the need for additional affordable housing options in Texas (National Low Income Housing Coalition).

“One of the most basic things to improve our communities, so basic that it’s often overlooked, is access to affordable and decent home ownership,” states Amy Ledbetter Parham, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Texas.

Guadalupe Valley Habitat for Humanity will receive a Bootstrap Loan with the assistance of Habitat for Humanity Texas.

Administered by TDHCA, the Texas Bootstrap Loan Program, also referred to as the Owner-Builder Loan Program, is designed as a self-help housing construction program. It provides an opportunity for low-income families to purchase or refinance property that will then be used to build or repair a home through “sweat equity.” This aligns with the work of Habitat for Humanity, who believes in a hand up, not a handout, empowering homeowners to build alongside Habitat volunteers.

“The Texas Bootstrap Loan Program is one of the state’s most successful, cost-effective programs helping low income Texans achieve homeownership,” says Bobby Wilkinson, TDHCA’s Executive Director.

Through a partnership between Guadalupe Valley Habitat for Humanity’s Housing Ownership Program, Habitat for Humanity Texas’ HabTex Mortgage Services, and TDHCA’s Bootstrap Loan Program, the Mickles family are now proud homeowners, just in time for the holiday season.

“Its success is a result of the long-standing relationship between TDHCA and Habitat for Humanity, and we’re honored to celebrate this amazing opportunity with dedicated, hard-working Texas families, like the Mickles, who prove the dream of having a home can be a reality,” continues Wilkinson.

Furthermore, the help from these programs translates into lower, attainable monthly mortgage payments, allowing the Mickles family to make forward-thinking and financially flexible decisions, so she can provide for her children well into the future.

“The Texas Bootstrap Loan Program helps with this critical need of homeownership. On top of that, it’s a perfect program for the state government because it’s a loan that gets repaid to the state that allows them to build even more homes,” continues Parham.

Not only does the Bootstrap Loan Program help low-income families and the state government, it also allows the local Habitat affiliate to build more homes and better serve the surrounding communities.

In Guadalupe County and across the state, there are many hardworking, low-income families who unfortunately cannot obtain the dream of homeownership this holiday season. However, thanks to organizations, like Habitat for Humanity and the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs Department, families can finally make the dream of becoming homeowners a reality.

About Habitat for Humanity Texas:

Habitat for Humanity Texas is dedicated to empowering all 68 Texas local offices carry out the mission of putting God’s love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope.  We do this though statewide advocacy, training and assistance, resource procurement and disaster preparedness and recovery. For more information about Habitat for Humanity Texas, please visit our website at www.habitattexas.org.

About Guadalupe Valley Habitat for Humanity:

Guadalupe Valley Habitat for Humanity was chartered in 1993. Since then, GVHFH has partnered with more than 30 homeowners to build better lives for themselves and their children by providing decent, affordable housing. In 2014, GVHFH opened the Habitat ReStore – a volunteer-run home improvement store located at 256 W. Court Street in Seguin, Texas. Since the opening of the GVHFH ReStore, the proceeds have enabled GVHFH to build at least three homes per year for partner families willing to work side-by-side with Habitat volunteers.

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