Personal Financial Growth

Commit to Self-improvement

Doing the same thing expecting different results is truly the definition of insanity, growth is essential to human development. It doesn't matter if we are homeless, the working poor or financially sound we all are human beings prone to mistakes that make us far from perfect. All human beings are a work in progress with personal shortcomings to overcome. But we must be willing to put in the hard work necessary for self-improvement in ways that make us stronger community members who inspire others to continue to grow. Earnest commitment, relentless determination, self-will and self-motivation has to be the fuel that feeds the fire burning deep inside of us. Change starts within before it begins to become visual externally for the world to see. It’s important that we are surrounded with uplifting successful family members and friends who support us while still holding us accountable for taking responsibility for ourselves. Success breeds success!

Helping is not Enabling

Unless there are physical or psychological restraints to overcome, every able body individual has to work and pay for their own housing to avoid becoming homeless. Any number of things could happen to cause anyone of us to be down on our luck so bad that we need help. However, support for people should never turn into enabling them to avoid individual responsibilities required to live independently. Know the difference between someone having bad luck and someone attempting to make a living freeloading on other people.

Offering hope to the hopeless can make a world of difference for someone who sincerely has the self-will and determination to change. All of the support in the world will not help improve the quality of life for someone who lacks the will and desire to succeed in growing beyond their circumstances. All we can do is hold out our hands to those who seek the opportunity. If it is truly their desire, people will find a way to take advantage of those opportunities. Committed people will prove that they are determined to rise above hopelessness to become responsible tenants

Being Responsible Tenants 

Responsible renting establishes responsible independent living. Tenants must learn how to make sacrifices in order to consistently make monthly rental payments. Every adult over the age of 18 has a responsibility to themselves to maintain employment and a safe secure place to live. Prioritizing our obligations by way of importance brings us to an obvious conclusion, paying rent should be everyone’s top priority. Tenants who constantly pay rent on time, monthly, will always have a place to live. It is vital for tenants to keep the lines of communication open with their landlords. Inform them of loss of income, potential late payments or any other matter that may prevent them from paying rent on time. Landlords are usually understanding of responsible tenants who fall on hard times. Tenants who have developed into accountable reliable tenants are prepared to become prequalified homeowners.

Take charge of your financial future 

Residents positioned to impact change in their community are the individuals financially responsible who often support irresponsible family members and friends. Instead of attempting to help/enable a few people with little resources they are positioned to increase their resources and help many people. However, everybody can impact change simply by VOLUNTEERING their time. Independent living requires us to all be responsible in order to avoid becoming a dependent. Everything starts with obtaining and maintaining at least one source of income. One which we can learn to manage responsibly and expand upon in building towards the future.

Being financially responsible means, we have a process for managing our money that is productive and in our best overall interests. It also means that we save money for unexpected costs that will pop up sooner or later along with future items and experiences. Financially Responsible people are the ones who look after their personal finances effectively and efficiently. They learn from other people's mistakes and take necessary steps to improve their financial status. Financial responsibility is the process of managing money (and other kinds of assets) in a way that is productive and works in the best interest of an individual, his/her family or an organization. To be financially responsible means to live within a person's or company's means. It is totally irresponsible to create a budget that spends in excess of the amount of income we receive.

To manage money wisely it's important that we create a plan. Having a financial plan is about more than figuring out how much of your paycheck is left after the bills are paid. A solid plan includes:

We need to establish a budget that is realistic for your lifestyle while also ensuring that your spending doesn't exceed your income. Building a budget should include ways to: 

• Track our spending
• Live BELOW our means
• Pay ourselves first
• Pay our bills ON TIME
• Use a debt payoff strategy
• Establish Emergency Savings 
• Get a side hustle if you need to (or want to pay off debt/build wealth faster)
• Plan for Retirement 
• Start INVESTING. Build generational wealth   
• Get the right kind of insurance and understand the value of having it (vehicle, home, and Term vs Whole life) 
• Monitor our credit report

Back to Affordable Housing