Demetre builds event stages and sports arenas for the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He has been doing that work for over 17 years, and he values sturdy, well-built structures. Unfortunately, his landlord did not share those values. The rental had leaking water and no insulation, and his energy bills were high. His landlord wasn’t responding. Getting out of that apartment and into better housing had become an urgent priority.

Demetre decided to explore purchasing a house, but he had never owned a home before, and neither had anyone in his family. He didn’t know how he’d be able to afford it, but he had heard Self-Help worked with people in situations like his, so he stopped in the Self-Help branch in Winston-Salem to find out what he’d need to do to qualify for a mortgage. Demetre met Maria, a Self-Help loan officer, who walked him through the process. To his surprise, she was able to pre-qualify him on the spot.

Demetre showed up at the closing on his new home braced for a large payment. He was floored to learn that the 1% contribution he had already made was sufficient. He qualified for Self-Help’s Equity Boost program, getting into his new home with just 1% down. Now he has a stable and safe home, more room for his kids, and space to host family gatherings.

Demetre offers a message to anyone who feels stuck. He says that if you work hard and have to come home to a place that isn’t comfortable: “Please walk in [to Self-Help]. Somebody will help out or at least get you to a starting point.”