St. Andrews to hold homeownership assistance event

LAURINBURG — Area residents who are interested in buying a home but don’t qualify for a traditional mortgage may want to head to St. Andrew’s University the weekend of June 28-30 as they sponsor an Achieve the Dream event with the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA).

According to their website, NACA is a mortgage lender and financial counseling service that exists to help people of color and other disadvantaged citizens purchase a home. What is unique about NACA is the way it dismantles traditional barriers to minority home ownership. It alleviates some financial burdens by not requiring a down payment, private mortgage insurance, or closing costs. They also don’t use a traditional credit score, but something called a character-based credit score. NACA is also the largest HUD certified non-profit financial counseling service in the country. They provide over 30% of all housing/financial counseling countrywide.

This means that if a client has a lot of debt or other obstacles to home ownership, NACA will work with them and help them devise plans to overcome said obstacles. They stick with the client through every step of the process.

The idea for this event germinated from a community-based research project required in a mandatory SAU senior-level class called SAGE 450 which focuses on self, community, and world relations.

“I had to choose a topic with inequality that correlated to race nationally and locally, and I had to provide a solution,” said 2024 graduate Genesis Davis. “I chose housing because there is a big inequality regarding housing due to race, particularly for African Americans. But there are social and economic barriers to home ownership for all minorities.”

As Davis did her research, she learned that Scotland County is the fifth poorest county in the state and that 24.1% of residents live below the poverty line — almost double the state rate. Davis said, “This has been my home for three years, and when I learned this, I wanted to help. I wanted to have a positive impact on the people in this county.” The information she learned led her to think NACA could be part of the solution to housing inequality in our area.

Davis learned about NACA through her mother who not only works for them but was also a previous NACA client.

“My mom was a single parent, and we were renters,” Davis said. “We moved a lot until NACA helped her buy a house. I was in high school then, but it really made a difference in how I felt. It was such a relief knowing we wouldn’t have to move and possibly switch schools again. That sort of stability is important to a child.”

Another element of the SAGE 450 class is that students must volunteer 10 hours in the community. So, Davis asked her professor Timothy Verhey if she could set up a NACA event at the school for her volunteer hours.

Verhey was all for her idea.

“When Genesis did her class presentation and told us about NACA, it seemed like one of those things that was too good to be true,” Varhey said. “But NACA is legitimate. Their program helps build generational wealth and increases the stability of the community. They help people and work with them through every part of the process.”

Before Davis set the event up, they decided to gauge community interest by presenting her ideas to community leaders to get their input. Her first presentation was to a Community Leaders Forum that included pastors and business people. They were very impressed with her ideas, as were the Scotland County Commissioners she presented to next. The positive reactions led Davis and Verhey to finalize the setup of the event.

“I am just so proud of Genesis,” Verhey said. “She truly embodies the 3 C’s (character, community, and calling) that we emphasize at St. Andrew’s. She has done that not just by learning, but by doing and making it happen.”

As for Davis, she’s excited by the interest in the event.

“I thought we’d have like 50 people sign up, but there’s already around 1000 people registered. Not all from this county, but I’m still amazed,” Davis said.

The event will run Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at SAU’s Avinger Auditorium. Interested parties should pre-register (though it is not required) using the QR code provided, by visiting www.naca.com. or by calling 425-602-6222. All who show up will be served, even if that means working past 8 p.m.

Those attending should bring the following documents: paystubs from the last 30 days, tax returns and w-2s from the last 2 years, and bank and credit card statements from the last 90 days.