Primavera’s HUD-certified Housing Counselors are available to work with anyone in Pima County one-on-one to improve their financial standing. Housing Counselors help clients improve their credit, create and maintain a realistic budget, and find financial assistance to prepare to buy (and keep!) their home.
Oscar Gastelum is one of Primavera’s HUD-Certified Housing Counselors. He shares more about what it means to be a Housing Counselor at Primavera below.
We’re here to help people become first-time homebuyers and help connect them with the down payment assistance funds to make homeownership more affordable. But the role is so much more. We can help pretty much anyone improve their financial position, whether they want to buy a house or just build their assets to be more stable. We talk about healthy financial habits, help create budgets, and help people with their credit. Basically, we want to help anyone who wants to get themselves into a position where they can buy a house when the time is right. Sometimes it’s as simple as connecting them with a down payment assistance program. Sometimes it’s a year or more of counseling.
We’re a safe place for people to get financial help so that they can pursue their dreams. We don’t judge, we just help.
We have to be realistic about what the market looks like. But we can still help. Your overall financial health is going to be key to buying and keeping your home. You need to prepare savings, make sure your credit is good, and have a good handle on your spending so that when there’s an opportunity you can hop right on it. It can be discouraging for people, but there is hope.
EN 
ES