“The help we received was a true godsend.”

The housing counselors can then schedule an appointment to sit down and assess the resident’s concerns, identify financial hardship and connect them with the right resources.

As one of the seven HUD-certified housing agencies contracted to provide Save Our Home AZ counseling in Maricopa County, ARC counselors can help the homeowner apply for those funds. The application review process is usually about two to three months.

If they are approved for Save Our Home AZ, Huerta-Galarza said foreclosure would stop, the account would be brought current and the homeowner would be qualified for various forms of assistance up to $100,000.

“Even if they don’t qualify for Save Our Home AZ, we have other ways that we assist homeowners in need,” Huerta-Galarza said. “We still provide free housing counseling to tell people what their options might be and we have been doing that for so long that we know all of the resources here.”

Help for potential homeowners

Chandler said that in addition to financial hardship, the desire to get into the housing market is another reason to get connected with ARC.

“People can come in and say, ‘I want to buy a house,’ and we can take them through that whole process and they can walk out with a certificate that says I am prequalified and ready to buy a house,” Chandler said.

Chandler said providing Arizona residents with the resources to have and maintain affordable housing will continue to be ARC’s mission.

“Affordable housing is the root of successful living and is a major component of creating security and wealth,” she said. “Our future in Arizona is through creating responsible homeowners and teaching people how to use counseling agencies as a tool.”

Moving forward

For Perez, the mortgage assistance through ARC and Save Our Home AZ allows her the freedom to start looking toward the future.

She said she has plans to finish her GED and continue her education for a degree in business management.

“My husband and I always talked about starting our own business and that is still something that I still have plans to do,” she said.

In terms of being able to stay in her home, which she calls her mansion, Perez said it means more than she could describe.

“God puts people in our path for a reason,” Perez said, with tears in her eyes.

“I don’t know what I would have done without ARC and it all started with that one phone call.”