PHOENIX — Because of rising prices and tough lending requirements, owning a home can feel out of reach for many people, especially first-time homebuyers. But now, a new program from Desert Financial Credit Union is offering a major lifeline for our community heroes.
"We heard that a lot. It really came down to, 'How do I ever afford a down payment? Home values keep rising, interest rates keep rising, how am I ever going to afford this?" said Larry Jackson, VP of First Mortgage at Desert Financial.
The Community Heroes First-time Homebuyer Program is designed for essential workers like teachers, first responders, military members, government employees, and medical workers, but also includes support staff.
"When you think about community heroes, a lot of times you only think of the police officer or the firefighter. This is about anyone who supports them - the educators, the hospital workers. This program is for them too," Jackson explained.
For Wendy Medrano and Angel Ortiz, the program was a dream come true. Wendy is a pharmacy technician at a local hospital and Angel works for the U.S. Postal Service. Both careers qualify for the program. These proud homeowners were able to move into their own houses just before Christmas.
"You're new homeowners. How does it feel?" asked ABC15.
"It feels great and weird at the same time," laughed Medrano, "I never thought it would happen. It just felt so out of reach, you know? We never thought we would see ourselves in our own house."
The couple had been stuck in a cycle of instability renting, even forced out of their apartment twice when the buildings were sold.
"They said, 'Hey we sold it. You guys got to go.' And it's like, okay, so what do we do now?" Medrano recalled.
"The instability and not having autonomy over what we could do, where we could live and just having someone have control over that... it feels really alienating," Ortiz added.
The Community Heroes First-Time Homebuyer Program eliminates some of the biggest obstacles for people like removing the down payment, no private mortgage insurance, while offering competitive interest rates.
The goal? To provide stability for those who work tirelessly to support our communities. Now, for Wendy and Angel, homeownership isn’t just a dream—it’s their new reality.
"When you walk in what does it feel like?" asked ABC15.
"It just feels like relief," Medrano answered.
"It feels like there's nothing saying we can't do whatever we want, you know?" Ortiz added.
"Most people just need a little bit of help," said Ortiz.
And for Wendy and Angel, that help made all the difference.
To learn more about the Community Heroes First-time Homebuyer Program and eligibility requirements visit the Desert Financial Credit Union website.
