Getting and Keeping a Home
The AFSCME Advantage Mortgage program doesn't just put union members and their families into homes of their own. It also saves them if catastrophe strikes.
By Susan Ellen Holleran
RICHFIELD, MINNESOTA
John Bowman learned about the AFSCME Advantage/Union Plus Mortgage program in 2000, when he was trying to refinance his house. There was a minimum of red tape, and lowering his interest rate by two percentage points brought down his monthly payments — adding flexibility to his family's budget.
Then Bowman came up against severe medical problems. In June 2001, he was diagnosed with kidney failure and began dialysis. When he also began experiencing excruciating pain in his legs, doctors discovered that hardly any blood was circulating there. Both his legs were amputated in January 2002, and Bowman spent two months in the hospital. Fortunately, as a member of Local 34 (Council 14), he had some disability insurance; in addition, his co-workers donated handsomely to the shared-leave bank.
As his family struggled to get by without his regular paycheck, Bowman remembered that the mortgage broker had described some of the AFSCME Advantage/Union Plus Mortgage benefits. One of those helps participants when times are tough, providing interest-free loans to cover up to six months of mortgage payments.
"I hate to ask people for help," says Bowman. "But the mortgage program staff were so understanding. I could have lost my house or, at the very least, ruined my credit. They got the money to us before we went into arrears."
This past year has been one of intensive physical therapy as Bowman has learned to use his prosthetic legs. His optimism and upbeat manner have kept him going through the painful process. One big goal: to drive again and thus win back an important measure of his independence.
Just weeks ago, Bowman got into his car and tried driving it up and down his driveway. "I realized I could do it," he says. "I just had to use different muscles." Bolstered by that success, he went on to a nearby church parking lot for more practice. Then, he says, "I noticed I had some money in my pocket and drove to the McDonald's drive-through window for a burger and fries."
Bowman misses the daily challenge of his job as a veterans' services officer and is impatient to get back to the work he loves. The county has ordered special furniture for his office. As soon as it arrives, Bowman will again be taking care of veterans and their families. In the meantime, he has begun repaying the loan. He is thankful that the mortgage program has set those payments low to make it easier, literally and figuratively, for him to get back on his feet.
HIBBING, MINNESOTA
When our children hurt, we hurt. And sometimes there is nothing we can do to help them. But through AFSCME Advantage/Union Plus, Joanne Lauber was able to help her daughter, Tamara, rebound after a divorce.
Tamara was unable to keep the family house after the split. With her son and daughter, she moved into an apartment. Tamara dreamed of having a house again — one with a yard her children could play in. But she knew it would take a lot of work and couldn't quite figure out how to turn that dream into a reality.
A former Local 480 (Council 65) secretary, Joanne Lauber received a flyer one day about the mortgage program, stating that it was open to the parents and children of members. "I immediately called the number to make sure my daughter was indeed eligible," she says.
At first, Tamara couldn't believe her good fortune. A mortgage broker promptly came to her apartment and went through the paperwork to find the best mortgage for her — enough for a house and a yard, with payments she can afford.
"I'm a single parent, and this is the first house I've bought," she says. "Without this help, I would have had a slim chance of qualifying for such a low rate. And it would have taken a lot more work on my part." She also values the built-in protections in cases of unemployment or disability because "You never know what can happen.
"When your family breaks up, it is a really hard thing. It was important to me to give my children stability, and I have. I hope a lot of people use this program. It's excellent."
AFSCME Advantage Mortgage Program
The AFSCME Advantage/Union Plus Mortgage Program makes home buying, selling and refinancing easier and more affordable for AFSCME members, their parents and their children. Here are some of the benefits:
For more information, log on to AFSCME's Web site and click on AFSCME Advantage, or call 1-800-848-6466, Monday-Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. (ET). Assistance is also available in Spanish.
