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Real Life Stories
Profile: Single Mom and Three Kids Have A Place to Call Home
Program: The Individual Development and Empowerment Account (IDEA) Program, a first-time homebuyer program that provides grants of up to $10,000 for downpayment and closing costs, with a 3-to-1 match for every dollar saved by the homebuyers.
Partners: Alliance Bank of Arizona and MesaCAN
Christine Palmer always “had a dream of having my kids stay in the same house all throughout their school years,” because she never did. “My parents couldn’t afford to do anything like that,” she added. As a child, she had never lived in a house that was owned by her parents. She was one of six children and, at times, it was a struggle just for her parents to feed and clothe the family, as they moved from place to place in the Mesa, Arizona, area.
The 27-year old single mother of three wanted something better for her own children. Now she has it.
 Over an 18-month period, Ms. Palmer saved nearly $3,000 and then, through FHLBank San Francisco member Alliance Bank of Arizona, received a matching IDEA grant of almost $9,000 towards the purchase of her $130,000 home. But the process had actually begun two years earlier for Ms. Palmer, when she turned to MesaCAN, a community organization, to learn how to improve her credit score, understand how to finance a home purchase, and gain knowledge of other aspects of homeownership—such as pest control and home inspections.
“When I first started the process, they wanted me to start paying off some of my bills,” said Ms. Palmer, who works as an assistant manager at an apartment complex, while pursuing an associate degree in an online community college program. “That was the hardest part. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to budget. I went to counseling sessions for it. I was able to get two of my major debts to accept half of what I owed them. Everything was very tight for us.”
She knew the sacrifices would be worth it.
At the time, she was living in a cramped apartment with her three children—Kaled, 5; Kaitlyn, 4; and Kyle, 2. “The baby slept in the same room with me,” Christine recalled, noting that it made studying very difficult. “My two older ones had to share a room, the boy and the girl. So it was very tough.”
Now, she has a five-bedroom home where each child has their own room and the family enjoys a nice backyard. “Having the extra space makes it so much less stressful,” she said. “Everyone has their own room. I can do my homework and get better grades.” The family even has room for a family pet now—a dog.
“I wanted so badly to make sure that I had a home, a steady home, for my children. I wanted my children to have a place that they could call home. When I got the keys, all I could do was cry. I was like, ‘I did it!’ I did it for my kids.”
Back to Real Life Stories
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Real Life Stories
Profile: Single Mom and Three Kids Have A Place to Call Home
Program: The Individual Development and Empowerment Account (IDEA) Program, a first-time homebuyer program that provides grants of up to $10,000 for downpayment and closing costs, with a 3-to-1 match for every dollar saved by the homebuyers.
Partners: Alliance Bank of Arizona and MesaCAN
Christine Palmer always “had a dream of having my kids stay in the same house all throughout their school years,” because she never did. “My parents couldn’t afford to do anything like that,” she added. As a child, she had never lived in a house that was owned by her parents. She was one of six children and, at times, it was a struggle just for her parents to feed and clothe the family, as they moved from place to place in the Mesa, Arizona, area.
The 27-year old single mother of three wanted something better for her own children. Now she has it.
Over an 18-month period, Ms. Palmer saved nearly $3,000 and then, through FHLBank San Francisco member Alliance Bank of Arizona, received a matching IDEA grant of almost $9,000 towards the purchase of her $130,000 home. But the process had actually begun two years earlier for Ms. Palmer, when she turned to MesaCAN, a community organization, to learn how to improve her credit score, understand how to finance a home purchase, and gain knowledge of other aspects of homeownership—such as pest control and home inspections.
“When I first started the process, they wanted me to start paying off some of my bills,” said Ms. Palmer, who works as an assistant manager at an apartment complex, while pursuing an associate degree in an online community college program. “That was the hardest part. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to budget. I went to counseling sessions for it. I was able to get two of my major debts to accept half of what I owed them. Everything was very tight for us.”
She knew the sacrifices would be worth it.
At the time, she was living in a cramped apartment with her three children—Kaled, 5; Kaitlyn, 4; and Kyle, 2. “The baby slept in the same room with me,” Christine recalled, noting that it made studying very difficult. “My two older ones had to share a room, the boy and the girl. So it was very tough.”
Now, she has a five-bedroom home where each child has their own room and the family enjoys a nice backyard. “Having the extra space makes it so much less stressful,” she said. “Everyone has their own room. I can do my homework and get better grades.” The family even has room for a family pet now—a dog.
“I wanted so badly to make sure that I had a home, a steady home, for my children. I wanted my children to have a place that they could call home. When I got the keys, all I could do was cry. I was like, ‘I did it!’ I did it for my kids.”
Back to Real Life Stories
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