When Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Molin walked through the door of an Allied Gardens condo, he knew he’d found a hidden gem for his family.
“I feel very hopeful,” Molin said. “I feel like we have a place we can call our home.”
Now with a place to call his own, he says he could not have done it without the help of the Access Granted Homebuyers Program, a San Diego Foundation (SDF) partnership with LISC San Diego and the Urban League of San Diego County.
Homebuying Challenges
Searching with his wife and two children, it took Molin nine months to stumble upon his new humble abode. Over the course of those months, he placed several offers on houses in his dream neighborhood of University Heights – only to be outbid each time.
“I just kept praying,” he said. “Manifesting what was important.”
He says what was important to him was securing a space that he could live and grow in with his family for generations. When he found out his offer was accepted, he couldn’t believe it.
“It felt too good to be true because I think I was so used to being rejected,” he said. “It felt like finally here was that level of hope was like — okay, we crossed the threshold here.”
Addressing Inequities
Owning a home can stabilize housing costs, become an asset for homeowners and in turn, build generational financial stability and wealth.
While purchasing a home in San Diego is no simple task, it’s especially difficult for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) homebuyers.
The San Diego Economic Equity Report, commissioned by SDF and developed with the San Diego Regional Policy & Innovation Center, revealed that in 2021 roughly 63% of White families live in homes that they own. This is compared to 40% of Latino/a San Diegans, and about 48% of American Indian or Alaska Native San Diegans – plus about 32% of Black San Diegans.
This means that Black families are half as likely to own their home in comparison to White families.
Turning the Key
When Molin’s family began to grow, he knew his thoughts of owning a home needed to become a reality. Now that his family is settled in their new place, he’s a firm believer that it couldn’t have happened without help.
“I wouldn’t be able to have it if it wasn’t for the [Access Granted Homebuyers] program and the grant that we had – to be completely honest,” he said.
Molin calls the program a game-changer.
“There were so many nuances about homeownership,” he said. “We were lucky enough so that the grant helped us to even be able to use the money that we did have saved up to do any renovations that we had.”
From here on, Molin is excited to embark on this new chapter with his family and grow in a space to call their own.
About the Access Granted Homebuyers Program
The Access Granted Homebuyer Program is a groundbreaking initiative that closes the racial wealth gap by promoting generational wealth-building opportunities through BIPOC homeownership.
Formerly known as the San Diego Black Homebuyers Program, this initiative is the first of its kind in California and is a collaborative effort between LISC San Diego and the Urban League. The program offers up to $70,000 in grants to qualifying prospective Black, Latino/a, Native American, Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander homebuyers – along with comprehensive financial literacy education.
The program is made possible by several funders, including US Bank, San Diego Gas & Electric, BQuest Foundation, Wells Fargo and Cox Communication.
