HomeWise, Housing Trust and Habitat describe lending, counseling and development partnerships in Santa Fe

Representatives of three local housing nonprofits described how their programs partner with the city to expand access to homeownership and preserve affordable units.

Elena Gonzalez, chief operating officer at HomeWise, said HomeWise provides homebuyer education, financial coaching, mortgage lending and loan servicing. "We have helped over 7,000 families in New Mexico obtain homeownership," she said, and noted HomeWise often couples city funds (Affordable Housing Trust Fund, CDBG) with other public and philanthropic sources to bridge purchase gaps. Gonzalez pointed to projects such as Los Prados (about 161 units, roughly half affordable) as examples of developer partnerships that include public amenities like a community park.

Angela Pinedo, director of operations at the Housing Trust, introduced Ron, the organization's senior housing counselor, and described the Trust’s counseling and administrative support for city housing initiatives. The Trust’s recent Arroyo Oeste development is an entirely affordable 20-home project that relied on a mix of private lenders and public partners to house moderate- and low-income families.

Kathy Collins of Habitat for Humanity explained the organization's dual focus on repair and new construction to preserve existing affordable inventory and create new units. Collins said Habitat purchased what she referred to as the Casa de Todos subdivision and plans to build roughly 58 affordable homes serving households earning about 30–80% of area median income; Habitat pairs construction with homeowner education and offers 0% interest mortgages tied to income-based terms.

All three organizations encouraged residents to seek counseling and to use the city’s forthcoming RFP process to apply for Trust Fund or CDBG resources; they said nonprofit partnerships are central to scaling affordable housing in Santa Fe.