We first shared Christine’s journey and progress with Community Progress Council in 2022. In May of 2024, she purchased her own home, and we caught up with Christine and her family for an update! Below is her updated story, with the original story shared below.
“Really, me? Buy a house?”
Christine says that was the voice running through her head some days as she dreamed of home ownership. But her dream took hold, and Christine stayed the course.
She had connected with Community Progress Council when she first moved to York from Puerto Rico in 2020. Working alongside her Coach, she tackled her early goals: Enrolling her three children in school, creating a home, and building her financial literacy skills and English language skills. When COVID-19 hit, her Coach connected her with the Emergency Rental Assistance Program so Christine could stay in her home, despite lost time at work.
This year, on a bench in Cousler Park, Christine heard a voice again. This time, Christine was ready.
“God said, this is the moment to buy the home,” Christine said. “OK, this is my moment.”
At that time, Christine had been working with a Coach at Community Progress Council for nearly four years. Thanks to encouragement from her Coach and forward thinking, Christine had already taken both parts of Community Progress Council’s Pathway to Homeownership program, and worked one-on-one with a housing counselor to improve her credit score. In time, she had raised her credit score nearly 140 points.
From there, her focus was on the future.
“How can I manage my money to create a savings?” she asked.
As she began house hunting, she dreamed of a yard for her children, now 9, 11, and 15.
The search was quick. As a first-time homebuyer and first-generation homeowner — and thanks to her work through the first-time homebuyer classes — Christine qualified for down payment assistance. Her Realtor and local lender were critical supports in her search process and getting approved for her loan.
In May, she closed on her home: A two-bedroom rancher with, yes, a yard. With half the basement finished, Christine already sees the potential to add two more rooms. Christine grinned, talking about all the light, and the windows.
“My kids every day tell me, ‘Mom, thank you,’” she said. “I am proud that I will provide a better quality of life for my kids.”
When she thinks about her Coach, Adriana, through Community Progress Council, it’s clear their relationship runs deep.
“Adriana saw things that I was not able to see in me,” Christine said. “She saw my potential.”
When she doubted herself, Adriana reminded her not to be afraid.
Christine is motivated by setting a strong example for her kids. After her overnight shift, she hits the gym before coming home to wake up her kids for school, a commitment she’s made to take care of her own physical and mental health.
And although she doesn’t have family in the area, Christine has built other connections with others in her community over the past four years. A co-worker at her work has told her that she’s inspired by Christine, and is now buying her own home as well.
The social capital she’s creating is an important resource. But Christine also knows she’s learned quite a bit.
“I can do all these things, and not think it’s impossible,” she said. “I’ve grown a lot. A lot, a lot, a lot. It’s all the stuff I’ve learned at Community Progress Council and have implemented in my life. I can see how my kids are stable now.”
We first shared Christine's journey and progress with Community Progress Council in 2022. Below is her original story.
When Christine first moved to York from Puerto Rico, her first priority was her children – enrolling them in school at Hannah Penn K-8 in York City, connecting with the therapy they needed, and creating a home.
Through Community of Hope, the family resource center located within Hannah Penn, Community Progress Council connected Christine with a Resource Navigator who helped her access food, clothing, and computer services, all within the school.
From there, Christine connected to a Progress Coach who could support her as she worked toward greater stability for her family.
Christine’s ultimate goal? To buy her own home.
Christine’s Coach worked with her one-on-one to create a path toward achieving this goal, starting with the Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World program and Financial Literacy classes. Thanks to her hard work, Christine improved her credit score by nearly 100 points in just 10 short months!
Financial counseling, careful planning, and the support of her Coach helped Christine begin saving for her down payment.
It had been difficult enough to find an apartment when Christine first arrived in York in August 2020, and she and her children spent some time staying with a friend, sharing one room with a mattress on the floor. But she never lost hope. Ultimately, after five months, she found a place of her own.
But the impacts of COVID continued. Her van broke down, and an unexpected surgery caused her to miss almost three weeks from her full-time job. Her Coach recommended she apply for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, and Christine qualified. The rent relief helped her to stay in her apartment and keep her lights and heat on.
“I don’t want to be at that moment that I can’t pay my rent, thinking ‘Where are my kids going to go?’”
Christine has always been a saver, she said. Because of the ERAP support she received, she has been able to stay in her apartment, keep her family safe, and keep working toward her goals. In fact, Christine says that, in time, she hopes to start looking for a home of her own.