Habitat Homeowner Highlight: Julian Rodriguez

Before exploring homeownership for himself, Julian watched his mother successfully complete the Habitat for Humanity program and become a homeowner. Like many Dallas families, Julian’s mother could no longer afford living in a home with no rent control and needed to find something more financially predictable. Dallas has no laws enforcing rent control, and in Dallas alone, 1 in 6 households spend more than half their income on housing. Julian said that before he spoke with Habitat he knew Habitat was “life changing”.

Ready to be independent

Julian’s motivation for homeownership came from his urge to be independent. He was quickly outgrowing his family home and took pride in the idea of becoming a young homeowner. However, he was also starring at tall mountain to climb with millions of other young people in America – record breaking house prices, even in Dallas.

A place to call home

Julian reached out to Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity to learn more about the first steps to homeownership, and was surprised how seamless it was for him to progress through each step of the program.

Homeownership can be overwhelming, and like Julian, a lot of families are surprised how quickly they can move to each phase with ongoing dedication and hard work. It all starts with qualification.

To qualify for Habitat homeownership:

1. You’re in need of better housing
2. You’re willing to partner with Habitat through sweat equity and finance education courses
3. You’re able to pay the mortgage for the home

Pushing to do better

As Julian nears the end of his homeownership journey, he is focused on utilizing the home for its financial stability and personal growth. He said, “I am most excited about having something I can put money toward” and finished by saying, “the best part about going through the Habitat process so far is being motivated to push myself and do better”

Dallas Area Habitat has helped people like Julian for over thirty-five years and as a result helped thousands of families achieve financial independence, a safe community and a place to call home. To learn more about the program and how you can get involved, visit us at dallasareahabitat.org