Little Haiti Housing Association, Inc.
Miami, FL
Jacques St. Louis
Description of Contribution
In 1987 when Little Haiti Housing Association, Inc. was formed, the priority of the founding groups (local pastors, social workers, and community members) was the need for affordable housing and creating a system in which the community residents (mainly Haitian immigrants) would become the homeowners. Many residents lived in cramped, illegally subdivided single-family homes and/or apartments, and were paying exorbitant rents. Homeownership levels were less than 25%. The majority of the residents are first generation Haitian immigrants with a minimal understanding of financial institution, mortgage lending or credit. In addition, a significant proportion of the community is illiterate (in any language) and speaks limited English. Distrust of anyone other than family is a cultural norm.
LHHA designed its Homeownership Training program in 1992 to address the issues of the lack of understanding of financial institutions, lack of trust in institutions, and the language barrier. Recruitment is done over the radio and through church and word of mouth contacts, the most culturally effective methods for advertising. The six-week Homeownership Training program, conducted in Haitian Creole, covers the mechanics of banking (use of savings and checking accounts, and the lending process); budget and credit counseling; insurance; support for below-market rate mortgage applications and closing information. Individual credit counseling and post-purchase follow-up and support are also provided. This approach ensures that individuals understand that they are capable of purchasing a home, that they understand the requirements and process for making sound financial decisions, and that their fears and lack of knowledge are addressed. As awareness of the program has spread, more and more families have been able to solidify their financial future through realizing the dream of homeownership.
Impact
Little Haiti Housing Association, Inc. provides service to the residents of the community of Little Haiti in northeast Miami, Florida, which is heavily populated by Haitians (72%), Hispanics (13%), Caribbean and African Americans (10%), and Caucasians (5%). Along with the Homeownership Training program, LHHA has historically provided Home Buyers Fairs, one-to-one credit counseling, and question and answer sessions on Haitian radio by the Housing Director of LHHA.
LHHA works intensively with the prospective homeowner through all of the pre-purchase and post-purchase issues that surrounds the purchase of a home. For LHHA, the principal focus has been the rehabilitation and sale of abandoned and foreclosed properties as well as new construction of single-family homes. To date, more than 600 families have graduated from the homeownership-training course and 149 of those families have purchased homes from LHHA and partner organizations, including 65 very low-income minority families.
LHHA provides extensive homeowner education and credit counseling for potential homeowners through its Homeownership Training program. The 149 families that have become homeowners through LHHA and partner organizations have maintained a 0% default rate on their mortgages. This is attributed to the effectiveness of the homeownership-training course, coupled with individualized pre- and post-purchase support. Since 1995, an average of 75 clients are put on the waiting list for the Homeownership Training program and there are approximately 1,000 walk-in clients who receive one-to-one counseling with a counselor per year. Approximately 60 families graduate from this program annually. This training is a requirement for participation in LHHA's Affordable Home Ownership Program.
Innovation
LHHA’s work in creating a program to instruct and foster a new beginning for the Little Haiti residents is innovative in many ways: 1) culturally appropriate methodologies, including advertisement, educational materials, staff and languages spoken, and 2) innovative partnerships with other agencies.
Every aspect of LHHA’s Homeownership Training program has taken into account the needs, desires, fears, obstacles and difficulties in the acculturation process of its primary target, very low income Haitian Americans. Employing culturally sensitive staff, such as Jacques St. Louis, Director of Housing, has enabled us to tailor our Homeownership Program for maximum effectiveness in this community. Knowing that our target audience is often illiterate and do not speak English well, and building on the traditional role of radio in Haiti to disseminate information, all advertisement and education about the program is conducted on the radio in Haitian Creole. Knowing that there is a cultural distrust of most institutions and individuals outside the immediate family, with the exception of the role that pastor’s play as “cultural brokers” led to the dissemination of information through an informal network of churches. Knowing that written materials are less useful due to the high illiteracy rate, Homeownership Training has been conducted in Haitian Creole, and plans are underway to develop audiovisual materials in Haitian Creole.
The other innovative aspect of the program is our partnership with Miami Dade Neighborhood Housing Services (MDNHS) to help expand and fortify the Homeownership Training program, bringing together the strengths of both organizations.
As the Miami affiliate of the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, MDNHS brings a wealth of resources to this effort in the way of training materials and software for tracking client progress. MDNHS shares office space with LHHA in the building owned by LHHA, which includes a 600 s.f. community room that is used for training that is complete with a wide-screen monitor that connects to the computer network of LHHA and MDNHS. This facility was equipped to allow LHHA, and now partners, to conduct trainings and make presentations with audio-visual technologies. With MDNHS’ ability to deliver Homebuyer Training in English and Spanish, virtually any prospective homebuyer can find complete services through the combined efforts of LHHA and MDNHS. By forging this innovative partnership, each agency is able to expand its services to a wider audience and thus increase the level of home ownership in Miami exponentially.
Minority Focus
Over the years LHHA has managed to overcome one of the main problems in the Haitian community: lack of trust in formal institutions. Even with Haitian communities belief that government is “inherently corrupt”, coupled with the a significant amount of racism that Haitians have encountered and dealt with here in Miami, LHHA has been able to garner acceptance by the community it serves Stepick, Alex and Dutton Stepick, Carol. Civic Engagement of Haitian Immigrants and Haitian Americans in Miami-Dade County. Oct 2001., and is seen as an “insider” and working in the best interest of the Haitian population here.
Support and acceptance of LHHA by the minority community it serves is apparent in the number of families and individuals who are loyal to the organization, not only by participating in various activities and courses that are sponsored by LHHA but also by recommending LHHA to their family and friends. The Fannie Mae Foundation Research Report in 2000 documents a prime example of the type of necessary work that LHHA does. The following excerpt is from the Fannie Mae Report that quotes LHHA clients’ feelings towards LHHA and its Homeownership Training program:
I was living in a one-bedroom with three children [in North Miami Beach]. I never dreamed I could buy [a home]. My house [from LHHA] costs me less [than the previous rental]. It is like a dream with a large yard. They [LHHA] said, “It’s your house.” They [LHHA] are like family and gave me free paint [and helped with] repairs. I now speak to my neighbors, “You have to come to [LHHA],” and have recommended many to them [LHHA] (Lidvine 1998) As cited in Fannie Mae Foundation Research Report 2000: Case Study on Little Haiti Housing Association, Inc.
Acceptance by the residents that LHHA provides is also demonstrated by the amount of walk-in clients LHHA serves and the number on the waiting list for the Homeownership Training program, over 300 individuals and families.
LHHA has encouraged leadership development from within the ranks of its homeowners, and a number have served the agency and their community in significant ways. One-third of LHHA’s’ Board of Director are residents of the low-income neighborhoods that are serviced by LHHA. One of the first homeowners (Leomene Pierre) played a leadership role in the Homeowners Club for many years, was elected to the Board of Directors, and was then hired as the agency’s Lead Community Organizer.