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My Story: Jose Nuño

[As presented during the General Session at the 2006 Housing California Annual Conference]

Last week I gave my parents a call and I said, "Tell me what it meant for you to be having a home in your self help program." I had never really asked them that question before. They told me it meant civilization and security. Then I called my sister and I asked her, "What did affordable housing mean to you?" She said, "It meant not having to share a room with my parents any more." Because that's what we did, we all shared a room.

Getting a three bedroom, two bathroom home -- that's what the self-help program did for us. My father had finally decided to settle down and buy a home after 14 years of renting in a small town called Waterford (east of Modesto). At that time, the town of Waterford had a population of about 3,000. My dad went to get a loan, and as most of us here have done, tried to work the numbers and see if buying a home was feasible or not. He went in with the idea that he could do it with his farmworker position. At the eleventh hour, he decided to back out of the deal because he just wasn't able to make ends meet. The real estate agent told him, "Mr. Nuño, there is a program out of Visalia that is coming to this town and you might qualify for it."

My parents applied and after about 6 months to a year, they got a phone call inviting them to participate in the program. I remember my parents were so excited! They were finally going to get the security and assurance that their family would have a place to live and not have to move around.

After a bunch of NIMBY-ism ("not-in-my-backyard") the development came through, and we ended up with a beautiful home. Even now the development is great for the community of Waterford. Everyone is really excited about it, and now more affordable housing is being planned for that community. Just like me, folks have benefited from the program and are coming back to help others. I like to share my story now and let people know, I now sit on the other side of the desk from where my parents and I once were, helping others. I want to let everybody know and encourage them -- lenders, developers, investors -- continue striving and making those hard deals work. Continue to provide opportunities for other families to be homeowners for two reasons -- security and a stable home. Thank you.