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Art Gaffney
Philadelphia, PA

Art Gaffney has been to the school of hard knocks. He was homeless for a while after his divorce, then stayed with different friends before winding up in a rooming house in the North Philadelphia neighborhood where he grew up. At 41 years old, Art decided "I needed to reestablish myself. I needed to have a home."

Art started saving what he could from his job as a supervisor for a halfway house, but he was reluctant to go to a bank about getting a mortgage. "I had some debts, and I didn't really know how to go about it," he said. "I didn't want to go through the humiliation."

Through the loan counseling program that ACORN Housing Corporation offers as part of its CRA agreements with lenders, Art learned what steps to take. First, the loan counselor helped him figure out how to pay off his debts. Then she told him how to establish nontraditional credit. Art got a phone and established a record of paying the bill on time, and a letter from his landlord saying he paid his rent on time.

All the paperwork was frustrating, Art recalled, but after six months, he got a mortgage from Sovereign Bank, and moved into his new home. It's in a quiet Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood where most of the residents are homeowners. That makes a difference, Art said. "People aren't transient. They've been here and plan to be here. It makes the people in the neighborhood care about the neighborhood."

For himself, Art said, "I like the responsibility of owning a home. The independence. I can say what kind of place I want it to be."

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