Stage 1: Laying the Groundwork

Choosing a facilitator

As we mentioned in Chapter One, the process we describe is just one of many different approaches. You may choose to follow it closely, use it as a rough guide, take just some of the suggestions offered, or not use it at all.

For many first-time home buyers, the process can be complex and overwhelming. Choosing one person on whom you can depend throughout the entire process will be very helpful. This person could act as a partner, an advocate, an interpreter, and an organizer. He or she becomes the champion of your dream of homeownership, helping to sustain you and the others, helping you through the successes and challenges. Your facilitator can help you decide which people you want to invite to provide you with assistance.

A facilitator should be someone who is willing and able to make a significant commitment of time and energy. Preferably, you will want to choose a person with whom you have a long-term relationship. Your facilitator could be a friend, a family member, or someone (paid or unpaid) who provides you with assistance. It is important that you have confidence in this person, as the two of you will be working closely together for a significant period of time.

As we discussed in Chapter One, the second key person to have on your team is a housing counselor. A housing counselor/education provider is a person who is trained and certified to assist prospective home buyers throughout the purchase process. This person can be helpful with many aspects of home buying. He or she can help with finding a lender, completing forms and contracts, and determining how much to spend for a good faith deposit. The housing counselor can answer questions about how to choose a real estate sales professional, the different types of loans that are available, and what to expect at the closing. Housing counselors typically work for non-profit organizations. To locate a housing counselor/education provider in your area, contact Fannie Mae HomePath^SM Services at 1-800-7FANNIE (or 1-800-732-6643).

Once you have chosen a facilitator, the next step is to decide whom you want to include in the process of purchasing your home. Remember that this process can be a lengthy, frustrating, and perplexing one. Homeowners have found that a vital factor in their success was engaging people who could provide assistance in a variety of ways. For instance, having people available who can help to fill out forms and applications, make phone calls, or just provide moral support can make the purchasing process a lot easier.

The number of people you choose is not important. The critical factor is that the people who become part of the group are committed to working together with you to reach your final goal. These individuals must share your dream of owning a home and be willing to use their personal connections, experience, and creativity to help you realize your dream. They must be prepared to work in harmony with all the others you choose. They must be willing to do a lot of hard work and not become discouraged when obstacles arise or problems occur. In short, you should choose people who are prepared to be with you for the long haul.

Before you invite people to come together to talk about your desire to purchase a home, you and your facilitator should create a number of personal profiles. A personal profile is an organized way of describing your life, or a particular aspect of it. It is not a history that includes all of the details of your life; rather, it is an outline that highlights the most important facts about your life and will help others to better understand who you are. You may want to seek input from others with whom you are comfortable, and who know you well, to help you recall key events in your life.

Documenting all of this information in writing serves several purposes. First, the profiles will help you and others remain focused on you. Second, they will provide a point of reference as you work through the planning process. Recording the major events of your life in one place provides an efficient way to update new people who join your planning group.

Sharing your profiles with the people who provide you with assistance is an excellent way to communicate why owning a home is so important to you. If others understand your history, with its disappointments, joys, struggles, accomplishments, and preferences, as well as your hopes and dreams for the future, they will be in a better position to represent, advocate, or negotiate on your behalf. There are a number of different personal profiles that can be used to help the people who provide you with assistance to get to know you better. They are:

• Significant life events. This profile indicates the events from birth to the present that have had a major impact on your life. These may include events such as births (your birth, the birth of a sibling, or the birth of your children); the death of a family member or someone close to you; the identification of a disability or diagnosis of a major illness; a divorce in your family; a job hiring or firing; educational experiences; or a change in your living situation. One way to put together this profile is to draw a timeline that begins with your birth at one end and extends to the present time. Your significant life events are written along the line in chronological order.

• Relationship profile. In a relationship profile, you identify family members, friends, significant others, and key assistance people. Start by drawing a circle with you in the center. Think about the people who are important to you and the sort of relationship you have with each of them. Place the people who are closest to you, or with whom you would like to spend more time, nearest to the center of your circle. The individuals with whom you are not as close, or with whom you do not spend as much time, may go in the outer area of the circle. Are there people you want to live closer to? Who will you want to assist you in your home-buying venture?

• Preferences. In this profile, you describe how you would like to spend your time and with whom. Divide a sheet of paper down the center. Think about the things that keep you feeling happy and productive. List these things on one side of the paper. Include activities that you find exciting, fun, challenging, and worthwhile. On the other side of the page, specify the things that cause you to feel frustrated, bored, and unhappy. Knowing your preferences will help to clarify what type of home, neighborhood, and assistance will make the most sense for you.

• Places frequented. This profile explores where you spend your time. Divide a sheet of paper into five columns with headings that represent your place of employment and the specific hours that you work; where and how you spend your leisure time; where you spend weekends and holidays; which, if any, place of worship you attend; and which friends and family members you visit on a regular basis. Along with what is happening now, it is helpful to think about what you would like to see happen in the future. For example, are there places you would like to go more often? Do you want more opportunities to spend time in places that are not just for people who have disabilities? Are any of these places unique or can similar places be found in any community or neighborhood?

• Decision making. In this profile, you examine the amount of control you have over your own life in terms of major decisions. Do you (or does someone else) decide where, how, and with whom you spend your time? List the decisions you make on one side of a page and list those made by others on the opposite side. Ask yourself if some of these decisions are dictated by your current living situation. Think about ways that you could exercise more control in your life.

• Assistance needs and abilities. This profile will describe those things that you can do on your own, or that you could do on your own under different circumstances. Divide a sheet of paper down the center. On one half of the page, write down a list of your talents, gifts, and abilities (including those things that you do for yourself). On the other half of the page, list the things that you need assistance with, or that you may need assistance with if you were living in your own home. Of the things that you may need assistance with, note which ones you could do for yourself with the right assistance. For example, if you need help getting in or out of the shower, would the right shower design make it possible for you to do this on your own?

Joe and the people who assist him used person-centered planning to help him purchase his own home. To get a better idea about how personal profiles work, let’s look at Joe’s profiles:

Joe is born, has one older sister (Joyce)

Brother John is born

John dies

Mom is hospitalized for severe depression

Joe moves to state institution, building #4, shares bedroom with 16 other boys

Joe is moved to building #7, shares bedroom with 11 other boys

Joe is moved to building #5, shares bedroom with 11 other young men

Joe is moved to the state institution for adults, shares bedroom with 15 other men

Joe’s belongings are destroyed in a fire; he is moved to another building

Along with a group of 9 other men, Joe gets a job at a local hotel

Joe is moved to a cottage on the grounds of the institution, which he shares with 11 other men

Joe’s dad dies

Institution closes; Joe is moved to a 12-person group home in another town

Joe is moved to a 6-person group home

Joe is moved to a supervised apartment shared with 3 other people

Joe gets a part-time job at the library

Joe meets Paula

Joe is moved to an apartment shared with 2 other people

boss Greg

Sue from video store

Co-worker Jeff Keith (ex-roommate)

Brian from wheelchair basketball team

Cousin Bill Girlfriend, Paula Escort, Ruby

Neighbor, Frank Mom JOE Friend, Peter Nephew, Scott

Tom Sister, Joyce Ted from deli

Jack from class Pastor Jones

Barb & Jon from church Suzanne

Roommate Stuart

Niece Amy

• Public Library, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
• Attends adult education classes Tuesday and Thursday evenings 7-9 p.m.

• Horseback riding lessons Wednesday afternoons 3-5 p.m.
• Basketball practice and/or games 2-3 times per week during the season
• Walks in the park once or twice a month
• Would like to have a dog
• Movies once a month (would like to go weekly)

• Two to three hour hikes either Saturday or Sunday each week
• Spends Sundays with Paula
• Sees family on some holidays and once every month or two on weekends (Joe would like to see his mom once or twice a week)
• Basketball games on some Saturdays

• Attends Bethany Baptist Church once or twice a month on Sunday (Joe would like to be more involved in the church)

• Visits with Suzanne, Peter, Barb, and Jon one or two times a month (Joe would like to increase the time he spends with friends)
• Sees Paula one to two evenings a week and on Sundays
• Visits mom once or twice a month
• Sees Joyce and her family on some holidays

Great with dogs Reading

Uses public transportation alone Budgeting

Excellent memory for phone numbers Taking medication

Kind and compassionate Healthy eating

Cooks several meals without assistance Food shopping

Loves sports Getting in & out of Movie buff bed & tub

Conscientious and reliable employee Legal documents

From Joe’s profiles, we can learn a great deal about who Joe is and what he might want and need as a homeowner. In summarizing his profiles, there are a number of important pieces of information which will help as the planning process continues. Joe:

• has always lived with other people
• has lived with strangers since age 7
• has never had a choice about where or with whom he lives
• has moved 10 times in his life
• has maintained a relationship with family, but wants a richer and closer connection, especially with mom
• wants a dog
• wants to be actively involved in a church
• needs an accessible home and neighborhood
• needs assistance with getting in and out of bed and bath, and with some household tasks
• wants control and decision-making power
• wants to spend more time alone

After Joe and his planning group finished Joe’s profiles, they were able to begin to develop a true picture of where Joe might live. Joe had never had a choice about where and with whom he lived, when he moved, or what type of physical space he occupied. He wanted and needed to have the power to decide these things for himself.

A vision of an ideal neighborhood began to emerge. It seemed clear that Joe wanted a quiet, diverse neighborhood where he could get to know his neighbors and settle in for a long time. Having always lived with many other people, Joe decided that he really wanted to live on his own. The team needed to figure out how to help Joe get the assistance he needed while ensuring his safety.

As we make our way through the planning process, we will look more at Joe’s situation.