ICYMI: “Governor Katie Hobbs is leading a statewide effort to make the American Dream more realistic”

Governor Hobbs spent time with families who will be able spend the holidays in their newly purchased homes thanks to the landmark AZIsHome program 

Phoenix, AZ – Last week, Governor Hobbs lent a helping hand to two Arizona families who used the Arizona Is Home mortgage assistance program to purchase their first ever home. The program, which the Governor announced in her 2024 State of the State, assists first-time homebuyers with affording down payments and interest rate buydowns. During the stops, Governor Hobbs highlighted her commitment to making housing more affordable for everyday Arizonans and her plans to continue fighting the housing affordability crisis.

KOLD: “Governor Katie Hobbs is leading a statewide effort to make the American Dream more realistic.”

Telemundo: “Estaba muy emocionada. Yo no creía que lo podía lograr sola.”

KGUN: “It’s something I won’t forget.”

 

Tucson Sentinel: Gov. Hobbs touts success of first-time homebuyer program in Tucson

• Hobbs stopped at the newly-purchased South Tucson home of Yudiria Redondo, who was able to buy her first house with the help of $30,000 in down payment assistance from the program.

• “It's like making your dreams true. I think everybody wants to be a homeowner,” said Redondo. “I’m very proud of everything.”

• All of the funds disbursed through the program are interest free, said Araceli Jimenez, HUD housing counselor with Administration of Resources & Choices, the nonprofit that helped Redondo secure the money to buy the 1,380-square-foot home.

• “One day, I called her and I said, ‘We have money, Yudiria.’ She couldn’t believe it. She said, ‘No, I’m not going to be able to buy a home.’ And so I said, ‘Come on, let’s try it,’” Jimenez said.

• So far the Arizona is Home program has served 362 families and money is limited, though Hobbs said she hopes to extend it through another round of funding.

Arizona Daily Star: Arizona fund has helped hundreds of first-time homebuyers so far

• In this case, Contreras got $30,000 in down-payment assistance through the “Arizona is Home’’ program. She said that enabled her, as a recent widow with four children, to move out of a place she had been renting for eight years and to begin accumulating equity into a house that she can pass on to the next generation.

• “They had dreamed of home ownership together,’’ Hobbs said of Contreras and her late husband. “She wouldn’t have been able to do this without this program.’’

• “Providing that stability for your family, the difference between renting and owning is huge,’’ Hobbs said. “This program is doing exactly what we want it to do.’’

• “Housing affordability is an issue across the state, whether you’re represented by Democrats or Republicans,’’ she said.