Homebuyer's Clubs

The Jewish prophets spoke of a future reality, a kingdom or realm, where everyone would have a place to dwell in peace.

"Each man will sit under his own shade tree, each woman in safety will tend her own garden. God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so..."
-The Prophet Micah

Jesus came to proclaim that this realm, or kingdom, was at hand; it is close by and even breaking forth into our present reality through the Spirit that is at work in Him and His followers.

Today, as His followers, we are given the gift of participating in the work of this realm or kingdom. Part of our Kingdom work here in Buffalo has taken the shape of running Homebuyer's Clubs, where we work toward ensuring that each person has a place of peace they can call home.

The Westside has lots of affordable housing, but most of the owners are from outside of the community. While there are some good landlords, most are disinvested at best, and opressive at worst. Many of the tenants here are also weighed down under a heavy debt load. Often folks feel there is little hope for their financial situation to change.

The Homebuyer's Clubs challenge people to take charge of their financial situation. We help folks work on credit issues along with providing them the resources and encouragement they need to experience financial freedom. Once in this position, home ownership provides an opportunity to get out from under opressive landlords. Besides, on the Westside you can often pay less for a monthly mortgage payment than you would for a month's rent.

So, every second Thursday of the month we meet to share a dinner, a time of learning with local housing experts, and we set financial goals. People recieve assitance connecting to housing programs like Habitat for Humanity, or enrolling in matching savings plans that give you $4 for every $1 you save.

In the process justice and redemption are introduced into the oppressive situations people find themselves in. People start to experience financial freedom, grab on to hope, and find a place of peace to dwell in.

Anyone interested in joining us, is invited to meet at 175 Potomac at 6pm on the second Thursday of the month. Call me at 716.803.9241 or email kauffman.m@gmail.com if interested.