Wings of Refuge Homeownership program presents home-buying opportunities to people who may otherwise never have the opportunity to own a home. The housing program provides both pre-homeownership and post-homeownership training and counseling for our foster families, our biological families and the community at large. Our down payment assistance program has helped families purchase homes that otherwise would not be able to fulfill the dream of homeownership. Our trained and qualified staff, along with volunteers and consultants, provides credit management seminars and training, debt consolidation services and money management seminars.

Through this program we are able to help our foster parents provide a more stabilized environment for both long term and short-term foster care. Through homeownership foster parents are able to accept additional children so that siblings are not separated. Through the process of reuniting biological parents with their children the homeownership component becomes an essential component to their success. This program and training serve as encouragement and an opportunity for biological parents to provide a stabilized home for their children to return. Homeownership gives the foster parents, the biological parents and especially the children a sense of community pride and ownership.

Currently we are in discussion with Freddie Mac, commercial banks and other mortgage lenders that are willing to form a partnership with Wings of Refuge in providing Individual Development Accounts ("IDA") for the families we serve. These accounts will help our families purchase homes through savings and through matching funds received by our participating banks. IDA's have emerged throughout the United States as a viable tool in the effort to bring low-income families into the broader economic structure by helping them move towards self-sufficiency, if not prosperity. Our program teaches families how to save money and maintain a monthly budget that will help to ensure their eligibility for homeownership.

 Wings of Refuge believe that homeownership is an important part of developing stable, healthy and safe homes. The pride that comes with homeownership is an important component in raising children and developing safe and economically stable communities.