For Ramon Pleas, the hours he spends volunteering for Habitat Orlando & Osceola are about more than just giving back to his community. They’re about changing lives.
Ramon said during both his time working with City National Bank of Florida, and his time as volunteer facilitator at our First-time Homebuyer Workshops, he’s seen the difference that homeownership can make to a family.
“I got involved because I can see families’ lives changing,” he said. “Homeownership is important. Building generational wealth is important. So that’s why I volunteer at your First-time Homebuyer Workshops because I see what it could do for the single parent, what it can do for the senior, what it can do for the newlywed couple.”
As an assistant vice president community development banker with City National Bank of Florida, Ramon has learned the ins and outs of what goes into someone buying their first home. And now, as a facilitator for Habitat Orlando & Osceola for the past year, he’s committed to sharing that knowledge with the community.
“The most rewarding part of what I’m doing in these classes with this work is seeing families achieve their goals,” Ramon said. “Whether that’s the goal of homeownership, or that’s the goal of financial stability. I’m just excited every time I see a family member, or community member, a future homeowner achieve their goals.”
View this post on Instagram
During the free eight-hour First-time Homebuyer Workshops, which are held twice a month in Orange County, once in English and once in Spanish, facilitators from the community donate their time to educate future homeowners on everything that goes into buying a home from getting their credit in order, to qualifying for a mortgage, balancing their budget and working with a Realtor. The workshop is a requirement for certain down payment assistance programs.
“We’re building generational wealth with this when we’re purchasing a home, as long as we’re looking at it in a responsible financial way,” Ramon said. “We’re building for the next generation, and then we’re educating the next generation.”
In addition to the workshops, Habitat Orlando & Osceola provides one-on-one housing counseling at no cost (after a small fee for a credit report) to help Central Floridians achieve their housing goals, whether that’s to purchase a home through Habitat or on the open market, or to preserve their current home.
As a former housing counselor himself, he said it’s powerful to see Habitat Orlando & Osceola’s impact in the community he’s called home for more than 15 years.
“You can see the impact; I can feel the impact of what’s being done. Not in other communities, but in my own community,” he said.
To learn more about First-time Homebuyer Workshops and housing counseling, click here.
If you’re interested in volunteering as a facilitator for Habitat Orlando & Osceola education programs, please send an email here.
Recent Comments