Celebrates 30th anniversary by announcing 25,000 have completed homebuyer ed courses
Posted on December 21, 2015
BOSTON --- The Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance (MAHA) used its recent annual meeting and 30th anniversary celebration to announce it had passed a significant milestone and to thank the Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP) for three decades of support.
MAHA Board President Esther Maycock-Thorne announced at MAHA's annual meeting on Dec 7 that 25,000 have now successfully completed MAHA's pre- and post-purchase education programs.
"Once a year, we come together to say thank you to everyone for supporting what we do," said Thorne. "We're especially grateful to you all this year as we announce that 25,000 have graduated from our homeownership programs."
MAHA also recognized the Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP) for 30 years of support. In a special ceremony, MAHA thanked MHP's homeownership, community assistance and executive teams for expanding affordable housing opportunities and helping low-income and minority households build wealth through homeownership.
MAHA and MHP worked with lenders, state and city government, and other community groups to create what's now known as the ONE Mortgage Program. The program was created in response to 1989 Federal Reserve Study that found widespread racial discrimination in mortgage lending within the City of Boston.
Since 1990, the program's features - required education, fixed interest rate, low monthly payment and no PMI - have helped over 19,000 low- and moderate-income families purchase their first home. Over half of the loans made by the program's participating lenders have gone to households of color. MHP administers the program and MAHA is the state's leading homebuyer education organization.
"The (program) has helped over 19,000 families purchase their first home thanks to your passion and competence," said Symone Crawford, vice president of the MAHA board. "The program is run efficiently and well."
"We couldn't do what we do without the support of MAHA," said MHP Executive Director Clark Ziegler. "It's really an honor for us to be honored by you because I can't think of another organization that we respect more for what it does to help homebuyers."