March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Futures Home Assistance Program, a
non-profit organization that offers gift funds for down payments to
qualified homebuyers, announced today the creation of a department
specifically designed to meet the linguistic and financial needs of
Hispanic communities throughout all 50 states. Futures also announced
the opening of an office in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Based on the U.S. Census figures from 2000, the Hispanic community
in the United States is the fastest growing demographic in the
country. Unfortunately, Hispanics are noticeably underserved by most
national businesses, particularly in the Real Estate market. FHAP's
Executive Director, Edward P. Hays, said it was vital to open up the
down payment assistance program to the Hispanic population, and to
demonstrate that, Hays announced that Futures Home Assistance Program
has extended all aspects of its programs to Hispanics who might not
otherwise investigate the opportunity of home ownership, due to
language barriers.
"When the foundation began in 2000, our goals were clear," Hays
said. "We wanted to provide a no-strings-attached way for people to
purchase homes by offering them down-payment assistance, and we wanted
to do so by not only making the process easy, but offering superior
customer service at every turn. Once we began making Futures a common
name among realtors, mortgage lenders and customers, we wanted to make
our program accessible to more than just English-speaking homebuyers
throughout the United States. Launching our Spanish Department is an
exciting step for us, and we look forward to giving Hispanic
communities all across the U.S. and Puerto Rico the same high quality
of customer service and attention as we have to their English-speaking
counterparts."
In addition to the rollout of its Spanish Department, Futures Home
Assistance Program announced today that it has also opened offices in
San Juan, Puerto Rico. Upon receiving approval from the Puerto Rican
government to offer down-payment assistance to U.S. citizens in the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Futures announced the hiring of Carlos
Torres as Regional Director of Puerto Rico. Torres earned a Bachelor
of Arts in Education from the University of Puerto Rico and has
previously been employed with JA Gonzales and PanAmerican Financial in
San Juan.
Torres will report to Aida Perez, who has been named the Spanish
Program Director, overseeing all operations in the entire Spanish
Department. Perez will be responsible for the development of a
marketing approach and grassroots outreach efforts to Hispanic
communities around the U.S., including states where the Hispanic
populations are growing at increasingly rapid rates, such as Florida,
Texas, California, Arizona and Georgia, to name a few. She will
oversee operations in the Spanish Program throughout the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico, as well.
Perez began her career with Futures in Aug. 2001 after moving to
the Atlanta area from her native Puerto Rico. She was previously
employed as the Director of Public Relations for the Puerto Rican
government. Perez earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the
University of Puerto Rico, and was employed as a Spanish teacher on
the university level for years before accepting the job with the
Puerto Rican government.
"I am so proud to work for Futures," Perez said. "The foundation's
commitment to making homeownership a reality for people who might not
otherwise think they can afford to buy a home is incredibly
fulfilling, and helping others achieve that dream those of us working
for Futures very happy. Futures is unparalleled in its efforts to
serving hard-working families all over the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and I
am excited and honored to serve our customers through the Futures
Spanish Department."
"I believe Aida and Carlos have the knowledge and experience to
bring the foundation to a new and very exciting level," Hays said.
"Futures could not be happier about the promotion of Ms. Perez and the
hiring of Mr. Torres, and we are extremely proud to offer them as our
ambassadors to all Hispanic people whose dream is to own their own
home. I look forward to working with Aida and Carlos as we expand our
foundation by creating accessibility to as many potential homeowners
as possible."
ABOUT FUTURES HOME ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Futures Home Assistance Program is a non-profit organization that
assists homebuyers in obtaining "gift funds" to put towards down
payments on new or resale homes. Established in 2000 by Edward P.
Hays, Executive Director of the foundation, Futures is headquartered
in Stockbridge, Georgia.
Futures raises funds to help qualified homebuyer's requirements of
funds needed for purchases. There is no obligation for repayment of
these funds by the homebuyer, and no lien or mortgage placed against a
participating property. The gift funds, which can be offered up to 6%
of the entire cost of the home, may be used for part or all of any
down payment or closing costs required by participating lenders in
order to qualify the buyer for the home of their choice. Futures met
all requirements of the United States Department of Housing and Urban
Development to offer down payment assistance to homebuyers, and the
foundation works with approved mortgage lenders, realtors and other
real estate professionals in all 50 states and the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico.
For more information, please visit our Web sites at
http://www.fhap.org/ or
http://www.fhap.org/espanol for the Spanish version; or call Fauve
Yandel, Director of Marketing and PR, at 770-560-8913 or 800-672-4055
outside of Atlanta.
Source: Futures Home Assistance Program
Contact: Fauve Yandel, Director of Marketing and PR for Futures
Home
Assistance Program, +1-770-560-8913
Website:
http://www.fhap.org/
http://www.fhap.org/espanol
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