The dream of owning a home came true for Angeline Chapman, with help from Neighborhood Housing Partnership of Greater Springfield (NHP).
NHP is a non-profit 501c3 organization dedicated to increasing and preserving homeownership, promoting the development and rehabilitation of housing, and supporting vibrant, healthy neighborhoods.
Chapman, her husband, Bryan Artis II, and their two sons moved into a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house on Clairmont Avenue in Springfield in December.
“I’m so blessed and grateful that I had a really good home-buying experience,” Chapman says. “It’s the cutest Cape Cod brick home. This is our forever home.”
Chapman, 32, says her family planned to own a home someday, but that day came much sooner and more easily because of NHP’s help. She took NHP’s Homebuyer Education class two times, in 2019 and 2020. The course teaches the entire process of buying a home from the beginning – how to budget for house payments and how to pick a real estate agent – through shopping for a home and selecting a lender, and even after the purchase, with information about how to maintain your property.
“We got information about what to do, who to call if something happens to your house,” she says.
Chapman also qualified for an NHP grant of $3,800 to help with the down payment. NHP offers these grants, which the home buyer must match, to help pay for down payments, closing costs, and, in some cases, reduction of principal. The grants are available through an application process to a first-time home buyer purchasing a single-family residence in the city of Springfield.
Chapman learned about NHP’s programs through her work as a job developer for Clark County Job and Family Services. She helps young people aged 16 to 24 to find jobs and overcome barriers to employment, such as getting education or training, finding transportation or child care, getting a driver’s license, and other assistance. She signed her clients up for NHP’s classes and realized those programs could benefit her.
“I was mentoring people about financial literacy, and I didn’t know that much about home ownership,” Chapman says.
The NHP staff worked hard to respond to her family’s needs, she says.
“They would answer calls on weekends and at nights,” Chapman added. “The whole staff really makes themselves available to you 24/7.”
For information about upcoming NHP programs, including Homebuyer Education classes, visit the NHP website or call 937-322-4623.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.