One of many programs at the non-profit People Attempting to Help, or PATH, in Tyler, Texas, is one to help the homeless have a home.
How does renting a six-year-old, 1,800-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath home, for $650 a month sound?
The homes come with laminated floors, a dishwasher, refrigerator, stove, fenced-in yard, air conditioning, heat, and are freshly painted.
Throw in a free two-year home maintenance plan for repairs or replacement of plumbing, electrical and major appliances. The dwellings are in a renewed neighborhood that has 11 new homes being built 300 feet away.
Still not convinced?
Included is free financial tutoring, help with credit ratings, budgeting, and qualifying for a home loan.
If employment becomes a problem, there is help in locating a new job—all free to those who qualify for the Transitional Housing Program available at PATH.
“It is absolutely fair to say our program assists low-income families falling through the cracks,” said Community Homes Coordinator Nikki Pennington, 44.
“We actually advertise to help the helpless, because we don’t believe in giving up on them. This is their chance to get out of a helpless, homeless mentality and into a better life.’
It’s an ambitious long-term plan said PATH’s executive director, Andrea Wilson—but that’s what it’s going to take to mitigate homelessness.
“Helping the homeless is not a short-term program,” she said to The Epoch Times, Feb. 24. “At PATH, we are in it for the long haul.”
Helping greatly with PATH’s plans for the dream of homeownership for low-income families, was a generous donation of 52 homes in the city along with the land they sat on, during the early years of the non-profit that started in 1985.
These homes are renovated, if possible, and offered to those qualifying for the two-year housing assistance program, Pennington said.
“We have 42 of the 52 homes with occupants. A 25-year grant from the Housing and Urban Development agency enabled us to build new homes on 14 of the donated properties.”
None of those 14 newly built homes—or any of the homes PATH manages—are for sale.
“Our Transitional Housing Program is to get people confident with being successful at homeownership,” she said.
“Getting into their own homes is the end-goal. We tell them, ‘We don’t want you to be a renter the rest of your life. We want you to have decent credit; we want you to be able to budget so you’re not homeless again.’”
Maintenance manager Todd Straley said, “Every six months, Nikki and I do home assessments to see what needs to be fixed or replaced, from leaky faucets to air conditioning or heating units.
“All of that is free, paid for by the rents from our 42 homes. All our homes are energy efficient and built with safety in mind.”
Volunteers make it possible for him to look after the 42 occupied properties, and work on the remaining 10, he said.
“Church groups, or students from the University of Texas at Tyler, or volunteers from Youth With A Mission, come and paint the homes, or do preparation work that saves us weeks of labor. Without them, we couldn’t do much of anything.”
If you do not desire to own a home, don’t apply for a PATH house, said Pennington.
“This is not a program for those who just want cheap rents. That’s why we have a two-tier interview process to assess the drive, commitment, and desire to own a home.
“Those who do [want to own a home] are selected, housed, and helped for two years, in order for them to secure a home loan. Then they move into their own dwellings.”
This is the way at PATH for people who want help, she said.
“The whole direction we are pushing toward is for low-income families, on the verge of being homelessness can, with our help, get on the path from homelessness to homeownership. That’s what we are all about.”
