Story by Claudia Martinez. Photos by Dulce Hernandez.
On Thursday, November 21, The Resurrection Project hosted an event to celebrate the financial successes of families who went through TRP’s financial education program, which included financial coaching and products from Citibank and Bank of America. The exclusive event, named “Celebrating Your Financial Achievements,” was attended by nearly 100 people who’d been helped by TRP.
These families have many reasons to be celebrating. After years of struggling with mortgage payments, credit card debt, and bad credit scores, they are finally on their way to a better financial future.
One of the families to attend this celebration was Jose and Maricruz Salgado. Jose Salgado had been renting a house ever since he could remember. He heard about TRP’s financial education and home purchase program through a casual conversation with a friend and was immediately interested in knowing more. His friend shared with him how TRP helped him obtain a house of his own at an affordable price.
Jose decided to reach out to TRP. He was paired with a financial counselor who took him through the step-by-step process of becoming a first-time homeowner. The first step was to clean his record; he’d left many phone accounts unpaid, which had damaged his record.
With TRP’s help, Jose learned how to fix his credit and manage his finances. Today, he understands what it takes to maintain a healthy credit score and has faith that with TRP’s help, he will buy his first home in the summer of 2014.
A second family at the celebration was Juana Manzano and Francisco Gonzales, who were on the brink of losing their home before coming to TRP.
After years of paying a mortgage of $1,500, they could no longer keep up with their payments. Francisco tried reaching out to his bank to lower the payments but had no success. He began using his credit cards to keep up with his monthly payments or to pay off the taxes for his house. This went on for many stressful months.
“I felt hopeless, and I could no longer keep up with any of my payments,” says Francisco. He went to the Latin Institute for help and saw a TRP brochure. With the help of TRP’s financial counselors, Alicia Gutierrez and Alejandro Chaidez, Francisco was able to lower his monthly payments to $491. TRP served as a mediator between him and his bank, and he now feels more supported.
Although his payments will increase to $1,300 as of June 2014, Francisco now feels more financially secure. Through TRP he has gained financial knowledge that will help him make these payments without a problem. Francisco’s wife was also part of the process, and now has the financial ability to help her husband make decisions.
“They have helped me so much,” Francisco says. “From counting my receipts and managing my check book, they have shown me how to manage my finances, which is something I did not do before.”
Another person to attend the event was Wand Hartley, who decided to become a homeowner after years of being in the Chicago’s Housing Authority Section 8 program. The Chicago Housing Authority told her about TRP’s home purchase program and she decided to call. She was paired with TRP counselor Samantha Arroyo.
Samantha told Wand that the very first step to buying a home was to have a clean credit history. With Samantha’s help, Wand began her own step-by-step process of rebuilding her credit and preparing herself financially for the responsibilities of homeownership. When she was finally in a financial position to begin house hunting, TRP’s realtors helped her search for her home. She found it, and TRP helped her close on her first house.
Today, Wand makes her monthly payments and pays her taxes without a problem. She continues to educate herself about finances and feels more at ease. Wand is recommending TRP’s financial education services to others, including her sister.
“You have to have faith to step out of your comfort zone,” she says.
It was fitting that these families were recognized at a celebration named “Celebrating Your Financial Achievements.” It was an event to recognize them and how they’d achieved a healthier life for themselves and their families through financial education.
This life-changing program will continue to help families in these tough situations to find their way to financial security.

Return to Nueva Vida December 2013 here.