Jenny

When Jenny hung the blinds in her new home in Hyde Park this fall, things started to feel complete. In just a few years, Jenny worked through tremendous personal challenges to rebuild her finances and become a first-time homeowner.  

Just five years ago, Jenny was extracting herself and her two children from a difficult domestic violence situation. Among the many stresses and traumas she endured, Jenny also took on the financial burden in the relationship, which ultimately forced her to declare bankruptcy. With the support of one of her children’s doctors, she was able to free her family. They connected her with the Department of Children and Families, who helped her secure a housing voucher with Boston Housing Authority. After the doctor who supported her throughout the experience passed away suddenly, Jenny was even more determined to move her family forward and build a better life.  

When she first received a letter about the Compass FSS program with BHA, “I was new to Section 8 housing and I wanted to see how I could benefit from it, because I didn’t want to stay there forever. I wanted to grow. And what this program said to me was “We’re here to help you grow at your own pace, and we’ll give you resources to help you get there’”.  

Jenny began meeting with her Compass financial coach, focusing first on rebuilding her credit. “Our meetings gave me the tools and motivation to tighten my budget and decide between what I wanted and what I needed. Plus, with him pulling my credit report and showing me my progress, it made me even more determined to keep going and have some good news to share.” As her credit improved and her FSS savings grew, Jenny opened an additional credit card to boost her credit even further.  

As their coaching relationship grew, Jenny felt “like he really cared about me and my family. Talking to him is like talking to a friend who is there to support you in everything you’re doing. If it’s a good decision – great! If it isn’t so great, he’s there to ask questions and hold my hand to help figure it out. It was such a help knowing that someone was always there.”  

Then, Jenny began to focus on her major goal: homeownership. Her coach helped her identify programs that could accelerate her progress – including BHA’S First Home program, which offers residents up to $75,000 towards a down payment on their home while retaining their housing voucher. She also enrolled in the MAHA-STASH First-Gen Home program, a one-year homeownership education program that provides matching grants based on a participants’ own savings to use towards a down payment.  

Through her meticulous planning and by strategically leveraging these programs with the $9,000 she saved through FSS, Jenny achieved her dream and moved her family into their new home in September 2023. The first order of business: buying new blinds for some well-deserved privacy.  

Thinking back on all she had accomplished, Jenny shares, “I feel very proud of myself. I could have decided not to follow through or take a chance. But my financial coach was there, helping to hold me accountable for my plans. My coach and this program really held my hand and never let go. And I did not give up on letting the program hold my hand either.  

I wish that everybody who could have access to the program can try it, because it’s the best decision you can make for your life. Having suffered from depression and anxiety, I used to think I would never be able to buy a house, but hey! I did it! It may have taken me 13 years, but with the help of FSS and other programs, I was able to accomplish my goal!”