Mount Vernon Homeownership Center at the Armory
Fair Housing / First-Time Homebuyer Counseling and Education Program
Mount Vernon Home-ownership Center
The Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. (WRO) Homeownership Center is a one-stop shop that offers comprehensive services to help Mount Vernon and other area residents become homeowners and maintain their homes. The Center offers services and support for first-time homebuyers as well as existing homeowners.
The WRO Homeownership Center is part of Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc., established in 1968, a nonprofit agency that promotes fair and affordable housing in Westchester County. Services provided to home buyers and homeowners are free of charge.
First-Time Home-Buyer Assistance:
WRO's Homeownership Center can help make your dream of owning a home a reality.
WRO's homeownership counseling can prepare you to buy a home.
Our trained and experienced counselors can review your household's financial situation and make recommendations to help you prepare become a home buyer. For example, you may need to clean up debts and/or increase your savings. The counselor will explain terms like down payment, closing cost, first mortgage, PITI, and points, and walk you through the home purchasing process. You can also find out what price house, condominium, or co-op you can afford to purchase. Homeownership counseling will be conducted either in individual sessions, in a group, or both. Call to make an appointment today!
Understand the role of everyone involved in the home-buying process and learn how they can help.
What do real estate agents do? How do you identify and contact a real estate agent to help you find a house? Which banks should you consider? What assistance can an engineer or a lawyer provide? Your WRO homeownership counselor has the answers to these and many other questions.
You may be able to take advantage of down payment and closing cost assistance programs specifically designed for first-time home buyers.
A WRO counselor can help identify if one of the following programs makes sense for you.
- The First Home Club - First Home Clubs provide a 3-1 match to help build savings for down payment and closing costs. Members of the First Home Club who save on a consistent basis can qualify for matching funds of up to $5,000 from a participating bank. Club members also receive 8-10 hours of individual and group counseling.
- Individual Development Accounts - From time to time, WRO offers Individual Development Account (IDA), another way of saving money to buy a home. WRO or a participating bank matches funds saved by the individual. Financial literacy training is also included.
- Open the "Front Door" to Homeownership - Under a new Front Door program offered by the state of New York, a small number of income-eligible families living in certain neighborhoods may be able to receive $16,800 toward a down payment and closing costs. These families or individuals must save an amount equal to 3 percent of the cost of the house.
Homeowner Assistance:
Have you had problems making mortgage payments?
WRO provides mortgage default counseling that can help you develop plans to resolve mortgage arrears. As a housing counseling agency certified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), WRO can intervene with lenders to prevent foreclosures. In limited situations WRO may be able to provide cash grants to cover one month's mortgage principal and interest.
NOTE: Mortgage default counseling is only available at WRO's Mount Vernon location.
Do you think you have been taken advantage of by a lender?
What other resources are available to help make the most of homeownership?
WRO offers referrals to many resources that will help you maintain and improve your home, including low-cost home improvement loans, home improvement grants to repair conditions posing health and safety threats, weatherization improvements, and reverse equity mortgages for older adults.
Fair Housing Assistance:
Fair Housing education will be included in all workshops. Fair Housing information is provided to all who receive home-buying counseling. Contact us if you have questions about the law and whether your rights have been violated.
Funding:
Westchester Residential Opportunities’ Mount Vernon office at the Mount Vernon Armory is funded through grants and in-kind support from HUD, Americorps VISTA, Westchester County, the City of Mount Vernon, the Fannie Mae Foundation, and local banks. Additional donations are welcome and encouraged.
Appointments at Mount Vernon Armory may be scheduled for these office hours:
Monday 1:30p.m. - 5:00p.m.
Tuesday 9:00a.m. - 5:00p.m.
Wednesday 1:30p.m. - 5:00p.m.
Thursday 9:00a.m. - 5:00p.m.
Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc.
Mount Vernon Homeownership Center at the Armory
144 North 5th Avenue,
First Floor
Mount Vernon, New York 10550
Tel: 914 668 4424
Fax: 914 668 9515