Consumer Action tackles homeownership at LA workshop

Residents of the El Centro Loretto affordable housing development in Los Angeles learned about homeownership at a recent workshop provided by Consumer Action's Nelson Santiago.

The 76-unit development, steps from the eclectic Sunset Junction neighborhood in Silver Lake, is run by the Filipinotown-based non-profit Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA). The non-profit provides residents with programs that include case management, health and skills building workshops and afterschool and recreational programs.

The idea behind offering the homebuying workshop, explained SIPA's business development specialist John Swing, is to give residents information that will help them with their financial goals.

“I was excited to invite Consumer Action to our site,” said Swing. “Your expertise on financial topics and the education and resources you provide are invaluable in enhancing our residents’ quality of life.”

Santiago based his presentation on the MoneyWi$e “Keys to Homeownership” educational module. The module covers the benefits and responsibilities of homeownership, offers downpayment resources and information about qualifying for a mortgage, gives tips on shopping for a home and much more.

Santiago said that he finds the classroom activities in the module’s lesson plan both fun and useful. In one of the activities, “Hopeful Homebuyers Need Your Help,” workshop participants, working in groups, were able to review descriptions and photos of sample home listings and help a fictional couple choose the home and mortgage that best fit their needs.

“There are no wrong answers to the activity,” explained Santiago. “It’s an opportunity for everyone to discuss the many factors that go into choosing a home and a loan, all while interacting with—and learning from—insightful fellow participants.”

Santiago, who strives to connect workshop attendees to the most useful and up-to-date resources, created a new resource sheet for the June workshop. The sheet not only contains state and federal homebuying resources but also resources specific to Los Angeles City and County.

“Even if you’re not in the LA area,” Santiago advises INSIDER readers, “you can use the linked resource sheet as a model for creating your own handout with resources local to your city, county or parish and state.”

Consumer Action offers two MoneyWi$e homeownership-related modules (Keys to Homeownership and Successful Homeownership) that can be downloaded from our Housing Information Project site.