After being a renter her entire life, Patricia Hobbs, 47, was able to achieve her dream of homeownership through an innovative Newark program that allows renters receiving certain government assistance to buy a home. The Newark Land Bank’s Section 8 Homeownership Conversion program also helps the city to decrease blight and tries to utilize Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) to rehabilitate the properties selected for sale. Since the program started in 2021, six homes have been sold to Section 8 recipients.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in order to qualify for federal Section 8 rental vouchers or subsidies, “the family’s income may not exceed 50% of the median income for the county or metropolitan area in which the family chooses to live.” In Newark, the median income is just over $41,000.
Born and raised in Newark, Hobbs was adopted out of the foster care system, and says she had opportunities, but in her younger years didn’t always take them. “My parents were willing to send me to college, but I chose not to go at that time,” she says. “It wasn’t until later in life that I began to want more, and want better things for my life.”
She says that she received a Section 8 voucher after the building she was then living in was torn down. “Sometimes there can be a stigma attached to the Section 8 program, that people who are in the program don’t want more. It was during this time that I went back to get my Associate’s degree in Human and Social Services,” she says. Hobbs worked a number of jobs at the time, but none gave her the fulfillment and environment she was looking for. “I applied at Audible a number of times since 2018, but never heard back. It wasn’t until I had left my last job that Audible called me for an interview, and I started working as a Concierge Specialist there in 2021,” she says. Hobbs says that Audible is an amazing place to work. “The environment is so positive, and that was the path I was on in my life,” she says.
Everything was tested when Hobbs–who had only been at Audible for three months at the time–was admitted to the intensive care unit for a serious health scare. She says this was the confirmation she needed that better things were coming. “My health scare is what confirmed for me that I was on the right path,” Hobbs says. “I know that sounds crazy, but Audible was so supportive during that time, even though I had only been in my role for a short time. That confirmed for me that dreams do come true, and that I had found a great position with a great company, so my dream of homeownership was the next thing that was within reach.”
Hobbs certainly had to draw on her perseverance to get to owning her first home through the program. “After completing the initial paperwork, there was a bit of a stall, so I will admit to turning into almost a ‘stalker’ to get the answers I needed,” she laughs. “But I was so focused and determined that owning a home was in my future, I was willing to do whatever it took. Once I decided to see which properties were available in the land bank, and when I walked through the door of the property that I eventually purchased, I knew that I was home.”
The Newark Land Bank is financially supported by Wells Fargo, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the Victoria Foundation and the National Fair Housing Alliance.
Marcus Randolph, CEO of Invest Newark states, “Home ownership is one of the most recognized paths to wealth generation. The Newark Land Bank is pleased and proud to have piloted and now offer one of the only Section 8 Homeownership Conversion Programs in the country.”
For now, Hobbs is enjoying living out her dreams in her new home. She lives with one of her adult daughters and two dogs. “I’ve had some minor homeownership issues, like frozen pipes and a sewer issue, but other than that, it’s been a dream,” she says.
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