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DASH homeownership center offers variety of services

The DASH Homeownership Center helps unlock homeownership opportunities for first-time, low- and moderate-income buyers and provides valuable home-rehabilitation assistance to current homeowners.

The Homeownership Center, in the DASH offices at 1200 Fourth Avenue in LaGrange, provides access to a wide range of services and training that will help residents find, purchase, rehabilitate and maintain their homes.

The U.S. homeownership rate of 69 percent is at the highest level in the nation's history. However, while the U.S. enjoys unprecedented growth in homeownership rates, only 47 percent of LaGrange heads-of-household own their homes. DASH's goal is to increase homeownership in LaGrange to at least 60 percent in 20 years.

Many families are unsure of how to buy a home or they face barriers that prevent them from attaining the American Dream. Helping families address barriers such as insufficient savings for down payment and closing costs, high debt, poor credit or an unstable income is what The DASH Homeownership Center does best. Services provided through the center include:

-- homebuyer education seminars,

-- individualized pre-purchase counseling, including repairing or establishing credit,

-- affordable second-mortgage financing for down payments, closing costs or renovations,

-- down payment assistance,

-- access to real estate agents and services,

-- workshops on home maintenance and repair, and

-- neighborhood tours and links to neighborhood organizations, associations and leaders.

Since The Homeownership Center opened in 1982 (as Neighborhood Housing Services of LaGrange), it has provided more than $2.3 million in direct mortgage and home-improvement financing, provided $3.4 million in first mortgage assistance, and has helped more than 100 families become homeowners.

The DASH Homeownership Center is one of 88 centers affiliated with NeighborWorks America, a group of 230 community-based organizations. NeighborWorks America is the oldest nonprofit affordable-housing and community-development organization in the nation.

The mission of DASH is to revitalize and make sustainable LaGrange's once vibrant neighborhoods by eliminating substandard housing, creating socio-economic diversity, encouraging homeownership, inviting economic development and engaging residents in active community leadership. For additional information about DASH or its initiatives, contact us at (706) 298-0221 or visit online at http://www.dashlagrange.com.

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