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Lori Rassi is almost home. A long-time resident of the Chamberlain, Indiana, neighborhood, she’s excited to finally, officially put down roots. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that those roots will be in a new, energy-efficient house built by LaCasa. Or that she is combining her hard-earned savings with a match from the LaCasa Dream$avers program and a down-payment grant that allowed her to start out with more than a 20 percent equity position.
“It blows me away,” says Rassi. “It’s more than I would have ever imagined. I love that house. My kids are so stoked.”
When Rassi found LaCasa, she was about ready to ditch the idea of home ownership. “I had just been denied a mortgage and owning a home was feeling impossible,” she recalls. A friend of hers, who had made improvements to her home through LaCasa’s Dream$avers matched-savings program, encouraged her to give the organization a chance to help before giving up.
“That’s how I met Lori,” LaCasa’s Chris Kingsley remembers. “It was a financial coaching appointment and she mentioned her frustrations. I could see right away there was a path to help her achieve her dream of homeownership, and that it didn’t have to be as long as she thought it would be.”
Rassi signed up for Dream$avers, funded by Federal Assets for Independence, through which her $1,600 in savings would be matched with $8,000 for home purchase. She attended LaCasa’s “Money for Life” and “Own Your Home Now” classes. She participated in financial coaching. She worked on her credit.
“Our work with Lori embodies our mission of partnering to create opportunities,” comments Kingsley. “She is tenaciously committed to her success and when we worked together to identify exact steps that would eliminate barriers to her dream, those barriers never stood a chance!”
Rassi explains, “This is for my kids. You should have seen me seven to eight years ago. I was earning below the poverty level. I’ve come a long way.”
Rassi is a longtime employee at ADEC, where she works with adults with disabilities to enable independent living. She is no stranger to mission-based work. She loves her job and is passionate about helping others.
“It’s amazing how things are coming together for me right now, after a period where it seemed like everything was on hold,” she smiles.
Rassi recently joined the board of a local chapter of “For Every Woman a Chance.” The organization focuses on connecting women with the resources they need to succeed and moving more women into science, technology, engineering and math. “It’s an opportunity to impact others who may be dealing with challenges similar to the ones I have overcome.”
“Lori exemplifies the spirit of the asset-building movement,” notes LaCasa President Larry Gautsche. “The idea is that you give someone an opportunity through asset ownership. That person then has ownership in and is motivated to care about their community. Successful asset ownership is a platform for contribution.”
LaCasa’s work with Rassi and much of the actual savings match for her home were funded by donors from Elkhart County. Incoming board chair Barb Hassan sees community ownership as key. “LaCasa is a community resource. It’s an expression of our community. We all play a part in this as we offer our various resources. The end result is changed lives, neighborhoods and communities.”
“It blows me away,” says Rassi. “It’s more than I would have ever imagined. I love that house. My kids are so stoked.”
When Rassi found LaCasa, she was about ready to ditch the idea of home ownership. “I had just been denied a mortgage and owning a home was feeling impossible,” she recalls. A friend of hers, who had made improvements to her home through LaCasa’s Dream$avers matched-savings program, encouraged her to give the organization a chance to help before giving up.
“That’s how I met Lori,” LaCasa’s Chris Kingsley remembers. “It was a financial coaching appointment and she mentioned her frustrations. I could see right away there was a path to help her achieve her dream of homeownership, and that it didn’t have to be as long as she thought it would be.”
Rassi signed up for Dream$avers, funded by Federal Assets for Independence, through which her $1,600 in savings would be matched with $8,000 for home purchase. She attended LaCasa’s “Money for Life” and “Own Your Home Now” classes. She participated in financial coaching. She worked on her credit.
“Our work with Lori embodies our mission of partnering to create opportunities,” comments Kingsley. “She is tenaciously committed to her success and when we worked together to identify exact steps that would eliminate barriers to her dream, those barriers never stood a chance!”
Rassi explains, “This is for my kids. You should have seen me seven to eight years ago. I was earning below the poverty level. I’ve come a long way.”
Rassi is a longtime employee at ADEC, where she works with adults with disabilities to enable independent living. She is no stranger to mission-based work. She loves her job and is passionate about helping others.
“It’s amazing how things are coming together for me right now, after a period where it seemed like everything was on hold,” she smiles.
Rassi recently joined the board of a local chapter of “For Every Woman a Chance.” The organization focuses on connecting women with the resources they need to succeed and moving more women into science, technology, engineering and math. “It’s an opportunity to impact others who may be dealing with challenges similar to the ones I have overcome.”
“Lori exemplifies the spirit of the asset-building movement,” notes LaCasa President Larry Gautsche. “The idea is that you give someone an opportunity through asset ownership. That person then has ownership in and is motivated to care about their community. Successful asset ownership is a platform for contribution.”
LaCasa’s work with Rassi and much of the actual savings match for her home were funded by donors from Elkhart County. Incoming board chair Barb Hassan sees community ownership as key. “LaCasa is a community resource. It’s an expression of our community. We all play a part in this as we offer our various resources. The end result is changed lives, neighborhoods and communities.”
