The program started out helping city employees buy homes, but now the effort has expanded to people in public service jobs such as education, healthcare and other government agencies.
Dianne Friday is a teacher for Cumberland County Schools. Her growing family pushed her to work toward buying her first home.
"I had a three-bedroom, one and a half bath and we definitely needed the extra bathroom, and a bigger home since it was on a smaller scale."
Then she found out about the city of Fayetteville's Homebuyer Hero Program. The program that awards $10,000 to $30,000 towards downpayments for homes within the city limits. In 2023, the initiative targeted city employees looking to buy homes. This year in May, the city expanded it by granting money to workers at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, Cumberland County Schools, as well as the state and federal governments.
After joining the program last August, Friday says the city gave her family $20,000. They closed on her new home in December.
"It's a relief off my shoulders...That's really important to me, just being able to have a place to call home."
Friday says buying her home has brought more stability to her family and given her children more safer space to play in a better neighborhood. Jeffrey Morin, the city's housing program manager, says it's helped put 25 people in homes in the last 16 months while spending about $.5 million on the project.
"The homebuying process can be daunting, but at the end of it, when you see somebody finally signing those final documents, knowing that they're a homebuyer and that they're in a better situation, it's a good feeling overall."
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