City’s ‘Essential’ Workers Benefit
A new housing program in Santa Fe could prove a boon to some of Santa Fe’s “essential” workers.
Launched Thursday, the nonprofit Herocare is a “onestop resource linking our neighborhood heroes with education and discounted housing-related services,” according to the organization’s literature.
Said director Francis Phillips at a conference held Thursday at the office of the Santa Fe Association of Realtors, “It encompasses a discount program for all the heroes.”
Those eligible for Herocare are people working for, or retired from, the government, military and schools, as well as medical workers, “first responders” such as police and firefighters, and those employed by community groups such as nonprofits.
Herocare participants seeking to buy a new home can qualify for discounts totaling up to $2,000, including $700 in closing costs and $1,000 in Realtor fees. Current homeowners looking to refinance are eligible for discounts totaling $900.
The catch, however, is that participants must use the services of Herocare “affiliates,” which currently include First Metropolitan Mortgage and Southwest Title & Escrow.
Those affiliates are screened by Herocare in a process that includes an application, background check and letters of recommendation, the organization’s representatives said.
What Herocare is not, according to organizers, is an affordable housing program. Anybody working in one of the designated professions qualifies for Herocare.
“Everyone is eligible, no matter what their income is — they’re all eligible for this discount,” Phillips said.
For Herocare participants who do qualify for affordable housing, the nonprofit plans to meet those needs by partnering with the Santa Fe Community Housing Trust.
“It’s a benefit to people who have to struggle to afford a home but who aren’t necessarily low income,” Sharron Welsh, executive director of the Housing Trust, said about Herocare.
Of the discounts offered, “It’s money in the bank,” she said.
Herocare is a national, Florida-based organization that currently represents about 40 counties across the country. The Santa Fe branch came to fruition when Phillips learned of the program at a conference last fall. He and others submitted an application to open a Santa Fe branch, which is currently located at First Metropolitan Mortgage, the workplace of Phillips and Herocare assistant director Jennie Herrera.
Plans call for an expansion soon into Bernalillo County, organizers said.
While Thursday was the official Santa Fe launch of Herocare, the program is already up and running and serving some individuals.
Those interested can call (800) HERO-411 for more information.
