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City unveils Home Prosper program to prioritize Head Start families for counseling and $2,000 grants
Summary
The City of Rochester's Office of Financial Empowerment described a new Home Prosper program funded by a Living Cities grant that will offer up to 60 participants financial counseling, first-time homebuyer training and a $2,000 award; councilmembers asked about eligibility, lottery selection and program follow-up.
The Office of Financial Empowerment presented the Home Prosper program, a Living Cities-funded initiative that will provide financial counseling, first-time homebuyer training and a $2,000 award to up to 60 City of Rochester residents, with priority for Head Start families.
"The Home Prosper Program is both financial counseling and first-time home buyer training," said Madeline, program lead in the Office of Financial Empowerment. The program will be administered in partnership with the Housing Council at PathStone and Action for a Better Community (ABC). Participants are expected to complete four hours of homebuyer training and at least three financial-counseling sessions and must achieve at least one financial goal to receive the $2,000 award.
Program eligibility requires City of Rochester residency, household income at or below 60% of area median income (AMI) and self-identification as Black or Brown; Head Start and Early Head Start families will be prioritized. Madeline said the program "will engage 60 participants" and that the $2,000 award is intended to support financial goals identified through counseling and is not restricted solely to purchasing a home.
Councilmembers asked for details on implementation. President Melendez and Vice President Harris asked whether Head Start eligibility aligns with the 60% AMI requirement; staff confirmed it does. Councilmember Martin asked how long participation would take; staff estimated the process could take roughly six to eight months for a participant attending one counseling session per month and a single training workshop. Councilmember Smith requested a dollar figure for 60% AMI; staff said they would provide that number after the meeting. Councilmember Lupien asked whether City employees who are also Head Start families would be precluded; staff said they would check with the law department.
Program funding and design: city staff said the program is funded by Living Cities and that Living Cities helped tailor the program to prioritize Head Start families based on a 2022 needs assessment that identified barriers such as limited access to homebuyer education, down payment costs and lack of mortgage-process mentorship. The Office emphasized it is building on existing local counseling services rather than creating a duplicate program.
Council action: the committee introduced an amendatory agreement to authorize the Home Prosper program (introduction number 85); the committee moved and seconded the item and the chair said the motion carried.
Next steps: staff said they will provide requested details in writing, including the dollar equivalent for 60% AMI and the full Living Cities needs-assessment findings, and will work with ABC on outreach, workshop scheduling and lottery procedures if interest exceeds available slots.
Note: the program team said the $2,000 award mirrors local homebuyer-grant practices and is designed as a bridge to existing city homebuyer resources.
