A Benton City family of three received keys to their home with no down payment or interest on a 30-year mortgage.
Avolena and Buck Ide, with their toddler Toby, kicked off this new chapter of their lives at a homeownership event Wednesday just outside their new front door, all thanks to an Oregon-based nonprofit.
“We’re really thankful for First Story and for everything, for putting this on pause and giving us this amazing opportunity,” Buck said.
The Ides had been living with family up until Wednesday, and Avonlea said having their own home is a blessing, a gift and a total game changer for herself and her family, which is growing by one.
“We’re almost halfway through this second pregnancy, so we’re going to fill up that third bedroom,” she said. “This is truly the perfect home, the perfect situation for us, and it has worked out in so many ways, I can’t even express it to you.”
This is all happening because of the nonprofit organization called “First Story.” Executive director Claire Duncan said the organization was founded by Hayden Homes to bridge gaps to home ownership for families who might not have been able to afford it otherwise.
First Story has already helped 117 families become homeowners.
Duncan said with current housing prices being so unaffordable for young families, the Ides thought their dream of becoming homeowners was going away until they found out about First Story and the help it could offer, which is why their story sets an example for others.
“They’re important because we need our families that are from the Tri-Cities who are starting their families, living, working here to be able to afford to live here and put down roots,” she said. “This is the heart and soul of our communities, and they’re not able to afford to make it their home.”
The Ides are now able to move into a home with more space for their toddler to play in. They said they had wanted their family to grow, but with their previous living situation, they had to place a hold on that dream.
With their new home though, they can now expect their second child with no worries about lack of space.
“We were not expecting to move for a long while and it was not in the financial like budget for us at all to be able to move into our own home, let alone…a brand new build,” Avolena said. “This is something very special that we will remember for the rest of our lives.”
Duncan said if not for other people’s stories, the couple would not have given First Story a chance and might not have walked through the door of their new home on Wednesday.
More information about these stories can be found on the organization’s website.
