IHA’s Newest Homeowners: Zam Pau and family!

inte8821 • February 9, 2018

Zam Pau and his wife Vung Sian recently became IHA’s newest first-time homebuyers!

“We took this family picture on the first day we moved into our new home. We have found peace of mind and happiness and the kids are able to play freely. I would like to thank Carol (IHA). She is so kind and it has been very easy to get in touch with her. We also received a lot of help from USDA-RD, IHA, and our agent Khai. Thank you everyone!” – Zampau’s Family

 

Immigrants from Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), they escaped the horrible violence and ethnic cleansing that has been occurring there and came to the US for a better life and are not US citizens. Zam is a welder at Canam Steel and he is the sole wage earner for his family of four. They have two sons, Soloman age 3 and Moses age 1.  Zam’s income is just 28% of the Area Median Income (AMI) – 30% of the AMI is considered extremely low.

They had attended one of the Credit Cafes that IHA holds in partnership with the United Way and the Housing Authority at the Prosperity Center in Frederick and heard about IHA’s Purchase Repair Homeownership Program which is designed to help very low income families to become homeowners.They made an appointment to get started and learned how much they would need to save and how to correct the problems on their credit report.

The loan product IHA’s program uses is the USDA-RD 502 Direct and after IHA helped them to bundle their loan application, they waited to get their loan approval.  Once they were approved they didn’t hesitate and quickly found a wonderful home in Frederick that needed a lot of repairs.  However, they only have to do some of the repairs themselves (125 hours) and the rest of the work, such as a new roof, updated electrical, etc. is done by licensed contractors.  Once the repairs are completed, which should only take two or three months at most, the home they purchased will be worth more than $12,000 than what they borrowed, which was the purchase price and the cost of the repairs.  They also walked away from the closing table with a check for over $1,600!

Zam and Vung are so grateful for the help and opportunity that IHA’s homeownership program provided.  Hours and hours of assistance from the credit counseling all the way through to the end of the repair process, all at no charge to them.  They feel that without our help, they could never have made this happen by themselves.  We are happy we could help them achieve their dream of finding a home they could afford that they could call their own.  Their mortgage is a fixed rate of just 3.25%, and their monthly payments (which include their taxes and insurance) are $835 a month.  The fair market rent published by HUD for a two-bedroom apartment in Frederick is almost $1,800.

 

Gary Free resident at Residences at Railroad Square Apartments

March 3, 2025
Gary Free grew up in Brunswick, MD. The first time he saw the Residences at Railroad Square, he knew he would love to live in the apartments. Now all he can think to himself is, “I am living here!” Gary said the day he signed his lease he was so happy! He has a picture hanging in his apartment that says, “You’re Home.” Gary looks at it often and says to himself, “I am!” He finally feels at peace. Gary feels his home is nice! He also feels one of the ways of living at Residences of Railroad Square is that he now has everything he ever wanted, asked for and needed. The only thing he feels is a concern is that most of the time he gets lonely. His goal is to try to meet people. He says, “I’m a very friendly person.” Gary says his experience living at the Residences at Railroad Square has been rather good. If he has any concerns he can talk to the office staff. He feels it can’t get any better than this!

Lease-up of Residence of Railroad Square

By Crystal Thomas • March 3, 2025
With excitement and anticipation, I watched the groundbreaking on June 29, 2023, with my assistant Vickie and IHA’s Supportive Services coordinator, Sandi. By the middle of September 2023 concrete walls were being set up. We watched as the roof was completed; then the windows and doors were installed. We impatiently waited for the day we received permission to see the inside of the Residences of Railroad Square property. Finally, on September 25, 2024, we had the privilege to tour the inside of this beautiful property. On the weekend of September 27, 2024, the IHA property management team along with the CEO Jodie, held a two-day in-person application event. The owners of First Stop Brunswick generously donated their space at 2. E. Baltimore Street. That lease up kick off generated 56 applications. Over the next three months, ninety more applications were submitted. Each applicant came with their own story which stirred our hearts. No matter how different their stories may have been, they all had the same wish, a place to call home for Christmas! On November 5, 2024, the first resident signed their lease and on December 23, 2024, the last empty unit was filled! Not only were we able to fulfill these residents' Christmas wishes but it also filled our hearts with joy!

Interfaith Housing Alliance (IHA) is proud to announce 4 funding awards received this quarter from community partners.

March 3, 2025
In November 2024, IHA was awarded a $20,000 grant from Delaplaine Foundation, Inc. This grant supports IHA’s three workshop series: Credit Café ; Financial Freedom Bootcamp ; and Ready, Set, Go… Home! In Credit Café, participants work specifically on improving their credit. Financial Freedom Bootcamp builds critical foundational skills for financial success. Ready, Set, Go… Home! walks participants through the entire homebuying process from start to finish. IHA also received a $1,574.37 designated grant from The PNC Homeownership Fund of The Community Foundation of Frederick County. These pass-through funds will directly support low- to moderate-income (LMI) households in achieving homeownership in Frederick County. In December 2024, IHA was awarded a $29,498 grant from the Maryland Affordable Housing Trust (MAHT). MAHT is administered by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) through the Division of Neighborhood Revitalization. This grant program is a valuable resource for the advancement of affordable housing initiatives and will provide operational assistance to IHA’s affordable multifamily community in Cumberland, MD. In January 2025, IHA was awarded a $2,500 grant by The Natelli Communities Charitable Fund of The Community Foundation of Frederick County. These unrestricted funds will support IHA’s work across the multiple counties served by our programs and affordable rental communities.
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