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success stories

Christy Bailey

Five years ago Christy Bailey was addicted to methamphetamines, married to an abusive husband and homeless. Today she and her three-year-old daughter, Serenity, live in their own three-bedroom home in a quiet, tidy Owensboro neighborhood.
“Five years ago it never would have occurred to me that I could own my own home,” Christy said. The journey from meth addict to homeowner began at OASIS, a domestic violence and drug and alcohol treatment program. Christy was working two jobs – as an activities manager at a homeless shelter and as a manager at a Burger King – when a supervisor told her about the IDA program at OASIS. 
Christy began saving $20 a month. When she saw the savings pile up, she upped her deposits to $55 a month and saved as much of her tax refunds as possible. With the help of a credit coach at OASIS, she also focused on improving her credit history.mLike many IDA participants, Christy did not have a credit score. She did have delinquent medical bills left over from a serious injury caused by her batterer.
Christy used her cable, rent and utility payment records to show that she paid her bills on time for two years. Those and her stable work history convinced the bank to give her a market-rate mortgage. Less than two years after she began saving, Christy used her IDA to buy her home for $50,000.
Christy is using a second IDA to save and pay for college expenses. She?s working on a degree in social work and hopes to become a drug treatment counselor. Meanwhile, she?s a regular at the monthly IDA meetings at OASIS, where she encourages other participants to take control of their finances and plan for the future.

Andrea Langefeld

“The IDA program is a great program, but it is something that you have to work for; you have to have ambition.” -Andrea Langefeld
Andrea Langefeld thought her life was spiraling out of control when she left her abusive husband in November 2003. She and three daughters moved into the basement of her mother’s one-bedroom house. “I was on food stamps and public assistance, living in my mom’s basement with three children,” she recalled. “My goal was to not be on any assistance.”
Andrea, 31, got a job as a server at a restaurant in the Cincinnati airport and, with a Section 8 housing voucher, moved into a nearby apartment in northern Kentucky. Shortly after that her effort to become self-sufficient kicked into high gear. Andrea met Becky Mishos at the Women’s Crisis Center and opened an Individual Development Account. She attended a financial education class, and with Becky’s help, Andrea began cleaning up her credit history. She raised her credit score by 150 points. One year later, Andrea bought a home in Ludlow, Kentucky, for $85,000. She used the $6,000 in her IDA and $10,000 in down payment assistance from Kentucky Housing Corp.
Andrea says the IDA program helped her take a big step toward financial security. Her caseworker helped her take the steps she needed to be able to apply for a mortgage. Most important, she said, the program helped her focus on her dream of homeownership and empowered her to take responsibility for her financial future.