Homeownership

SJHI fully renovates homes and offers these homes exclusively for purchase to first-time homebuyers of low and moderate income who qualify for a mortgage. Every SJHI home comes with homebuyer support benefits, including: 

  • $5,000 of Down Payment Assistance towards the purchase of the SJHI home, in the form of a 5-year forgivable loan

  • Homeowner Readiness Academy for preparation

  • Visit to partner organization Home Sweet Home for home furnishings

  • Welcome Basket and ongoing support from SJHI First Neighbor volunteer

  • Electric lawn mower

  • Complete renovations that may include new roofs, windows, tuckpointing, sewer laterals, plumbing, electric, HVAC, kitchens and baths, new appliances, new or refinished floors, fresh painting, fixtures

*SJHI does not finance the purchase of our homes. If prospective buyers need introduction to lenders, SJHI can facilitate introductions to a variety of lenders, both inside and outside of our Homeowner Readiness Academy.

Learn more! Click here to download our How to Qualify form.

Case Study

SJHI Homebuyer DeAiris is truly an example of hard work and faith paying off. A graduate of LifeWise STL’s economic wellness program, she entered SJHI’s Homeowner Readiness Academy after setting careful financial goals with a financial coach at Prosperity Connection and working diligently to complete them. She wanted a home that could comfortably accommodate her and her two children, with a backyard to play in.  DeAiris put a contract on the house SJHI had nicknamed “Saving Grace.”  When she and her family moved in, SJHI renamed it “Amazing Grace.”

“What does homeownership mean to me? I’m still in total shock that I have accomplished such a goal. I have something that I can leave to my children. I am the first in my family to own my first house, so I start the legacy in hopes that my children become homeowners.  I am proud of myself that I didn’t give up.”

DeAiris M., SJHI Homeowner