Sendia Garcia will soon be the proud owner of a newly built four-bedroom home — thanks to a program of the Lakeland Housing Authority, Career Source Polk and the city of Lakeland.
Garcia, a 47-year-old single mother of an adult daughter, said it is a dream come true. Crews are expected to break ground soon and her home will likely be completed in about six months. It will be close to Home Depot, near the intersection of Griffin Road and U.S. Highway 98 North.
Her selection was announced at the annual meeting of CareerSource Polk on Thursday.
How it works: The Lakeland Housing Authority’s Polk County Housing Developers purchased five lots from the city of Lakeland through its Infill Land Bank Program for $1,500 apiece. The city waives building permit fees and impact fees for homes built on those lots and offers pre-approved architectural plans that can be used.
The homes are restricted to low- to moderate-income first-time homebuyers who earn less than 140% of the area median income (AMI). For Lakeland, that is:
- $74,900 a year for an individual.
- $85,680 a year for a two-person household.
- $106,960 a year for a family of four.
The housing authority is partnering with Signature Homes to build the new homes. They will have three or four bedrooms and will cost between $250,000 and $300,000, depending on the size.
The city of Lakeland is offering down payment assistance of 20% of the cost of the home, up to $50,000, and it will cover up to $8,000 of closing costs.
Requirements: Benjamin Stevenson, executive director of the Lakeland Housing Authority, said the program has received dozens of applicants, but many aren’t qualified. Besides earning less than 140% of the area median income, applicants must:
- Have at least two years of consistent employment. It doesn’t have to be the same employer.
- Have a credit score of at least 650.
- Be able to pay $1,000 down payment for the home, not including funds from assistance programs.
- Complete a first-time homebuyer education program.
- Participate in pre- and post-purchase counseling.
“They think they have to pay off all their bills before they can buy a house. No, you just need to establish a positive payment history with your creditors so your creditors will say you’re in good standing,” Stevenson explained.
Anyone interested should email the Lakeland Housing Authority at info@lakelandhousing.org and sign up for a one-day homebuyer education seminar through HANDS of Central Florida.
“There’s a huge difference between renting and owning,” he added. “When you rent and something breaks, you call the owner. When you own the house and something breaks, you call the plumber, electrician, whatever. We look for people who can handle that.”
Stevenson said there are two lots left in this round of the program:
- 1011 Florence Ave. near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and West Memorial Boulevard.
- 3740 Lynn Dr. near Interstate 4 and U.S. Highway 98 North.
Recent changes: The city of Lakeland recently increased its maximum down payment assistance to $50,000, citing higher construction costs and interest rates, according to Mike Smith, the city’s housing programs manager. Previously, Lakeland’s Community Redevelopment Agency offered $20,000 to homebuyers moving into the city’s Midtown neighborhood, according to its website.
“We have made adjustments to our programs to help offset some of the challenges caused by rising interest rates and home prices,” Mike Smith explained. “The increase to 20% for down payment assistance gives the buyers the opportunity to avoid paying the mortgage insurance premium and also helps offset the increase in home prices.”
“That’s an extremely big deal because people in this particular income bracket, that’s one of their biggest barriers, is coming up with the down payment assistance. Banks typically want some type of down payment …That $50,000 is huge,” Stevenson said. “That’s a major barrier because most of them don’t have $5,000, $10,000 to go towards buying a house, or $20,000 to go towards buying a house. When you get $50,000 in down payment assistance, that’s like completing a 400-meter hurdle race. “
The city also increased the maximum income from 120% to 140% AMI. Smith said increasing the income limits opened the program up to more workers, such as teachers and first responders.
“We found that most buyers were qualifying at right around 120% and we were losing a lot of potential buyers that were just over that amount,” Smith explained.
Former migrant worker approved for first home: Garcia, who was born in Bartow and raised in Webster, said she feels like life has come full circle. The product of a Mexican migrant worker family, she said homeownership wasn’t common in her community.
“To own my first home, to me would be everything… I didn’t think it was possible. I didn’t have good credit,” Garcia said.
It wasn’t until she moved to Lakeland in 2019, to work for the Lakeland Housing Authority as a Section 8 or Housing Choice voucher manager, that she started to change her mindset and learn about the many homeownership assistance programs that were available. Before then, she worked for 20 years as a paraeducator and said she barely made enough to survive.
“It was tough. Putting myself through school. Making ends meet. Living paycheck to paycheck. It’s hard. You don’t really have time to focus on trying to be a homeowner when you’re trying to survive,” Garcia said. “I think if people are more informed about what’s out there and (have ) the support it takes to get there. I think that’s a big issue that we have. It’s not that they’re not taking the risks, they’re not getting the support they need to get to that point.”
As she learned about the new housing program being offered, she raised her credit score by paying off debt, getting a credit card and making timely payments, she said.
She’s been preapproved for a four-bedroom home and said she feels “accomplished,” “blessed” and “secure.”
Hand in hand: CareerSource Polk’s President and CEO Stacy Campbell-Domineck said she’s happy to partner with Lakeland Housing Authority to help find qualified potential homeowners.
“Beyond excited because they are a great group and a phenomenal partner … They help people with housing and all kinds of needs and we help them find employment and it goes hand in hand. We serve people who have a lot of needs and housing is one of those major barriers to employment. We’ve got so many who need it. Our goal is to make sure they’re ready and that they have everything in place to be a homeowner,” said Campbell-Domineck.
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