Empowering homeowners to maintain long-term homeownership

Homeowners

Empowerment Fund

Becoming a homeowner is not an easy journey. Maintaining homeownership also has its own challenges. OppFund offers pre- and post-purchase support to guide clients in navigating the process of becoming homeowners in Michigan. Our team provides coaching, financial counseling, home maintenance guidance, and accessing stabilization tools to help clients mitigate risks and overcome barriers. This program also allows us to provide technical assistance and wrap-around services that compliment the loan products, including:

Financial literacy and skills necessary for achieving homeownership
Support in removing real and perceived barriers to homeownership
Mortgage lending and payment related knowledge and skills

These activities are accomplished through key partnerships with Operation HOPE, Accounting Aid Society, Green Path, Build Institute, TechTown, NID-HUD Counseling, and other notable community stakeholders providing educational services, resources and training to individuals and business owners.

Homeowner Relief Fund

A home is more than a roof over your head. It’s a place of safety, memories, and belonging. But life can be unpredictable. A sudden job loss, medical emergency, or other hardship can put a family’s home at risk, and foreclosure can leave lasting scars: lost stability, damaged credit, and the heartache of displacement. OppFund’s team provides this hardship and technical assistance program to provide direct support for homeowners experiencing financial instability. By providing emergency assistance that helps families remain in their homes, the Homeowners Relief Fund enables children to stay in their schools, maintain relationships with neighbors and friends, and avoid the trauma and uncertainty that often accompany displacement.

Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) Program

OppFund uses its membership with the Federal Home Loan Bank system to help borrowers access a wide variety of tools and programs, including:

Credit enhancements
The Affordable Housing Program grant
Other community investment grants

These tools help homeowners who need affordable financing for essential repairs, rehabilitation, and long-term housing stability.

Case Study: Detroit Zero

The Challenge: Detroit faced persistently high eviction rates concentrated in low-income neighborhoods, disproportionately affecting Black renters. Many households were cost-burdened, lacked legal representation, and had limited access to emergency rental assistance. Eviction contributed to housing instability, school mobility, financial hardship, and neighborhood decline, reinforcing long-standing inequities. The Solution: OppFund’s administration of the Detroit 0% Home Repair Loan Program, a municipal home improvement financing program, directly strengthens homeowner stability and neighborhood resilience. The initiative, managed in partnership with LISC Detroit and the City of Detroit, provides 0% interest, 10‑year home improvement loans of $5,000–$25,000, making critical repairs accessible to households traditionally shut out of conventional credit markets. The Impact: Since launch in 2015, OppFund has delivered over $8 million in financing to nearly 400 homeowners, addressing essential health and safety risks like lead remediation, roofing, furnace replacement, and structural repairs. The program, with more than 90% of repayment, is widely recognized as a preservation tool while also helping maintain intergenerational wealth.

Contact Us

Carlina Malone
cmalone@oppfund.org

Resources

Is the intake form a loan application?

No. The intake form is only an assessment of your ability to fully complete an application with all required documents. It consists of yes/no questions to see if you are ready to apply or missing required information.

If I need additional services, how much is the cost?

Depending on the assistance you need costs may vary. However, with your commitment to receive and complete services, grant funding may be available to pay for the cost of technical assistance services on your behalf.

If I complete the intake form, will there be a credit check?

No. In fact, the intake form only asks you to provide your name, email and an optional telephone number to be contacted by one of our team members.

I'm currently receiving unemployment benefits as my main source of income, could I still qualify for a small loan from OppFund?

Unfortunately, not at this time. Lenders view unemployment benefits as “temporary income”, because payments are received for a limited period. Please view our brochure on this subject. In the meantime, you can get prepared to qualify for a loan by accessing our JFI Community Resource page.

What if I need more information or require services outside of what's offered above?

Send an email with your name, contact number and a description of your situation to jfi@oppfund.org.

Are any of the services offered online?

Yes, many of the technical assistance services are offered in an online capacity. However, there are classroom options available.

Our Process

1. Complete Intake Form

Anyone interested in obtaining an OppFund loan will answer a series of yes/no questions to see if they are ready to apply and qualify for lending capital. The questions are customized, based on the loan product selected.

2. Assessment of Ability to Qualify

Upon submission, our Customer Experience Ambassador will review the completed form to determine if you are ready to speak with a lender or if you need additional assistance to become qualified. If assistance is needed, your CEA will recommend the best options from our list of partners.

3. Applicant Contact/Discussion

Based on intake demand, your CEA will contact you within 24 to 72 hours to discuss your intake form and your lending needs. If you need technical assistance, your CEA will provide options of in-person or virtual training/services to help.

4. Referral to TA Provider

With your commitment to services, your CEA will warmly connect you to the appropriate service provider to become registered. Grant funds will be made available for the cost of technical assistance services and training.

5. Reassessment & Referral to Lender

After successfully completing the recommended services, your CEA will reassess your ability to qualify for lending capital. Once qualified, your CEA will connect you to an OppFund lender to begin the loan process. But don’t worry, your CEA will be available for questions and encourage throughout the lending process and beyond.

What Homeowners Are Saying

During 2024, I experienced financial hardship due to being out of work twice, which made it difficult to stay on top of my payments. The grant I received from OppFund has truly been a blessing beyond words. It not only provided financial relief but also gave me peace of mind and the chance to get back on track. Please know that your assistance has made a meaningful difference in my life.”

As a single parent, I face many obstacles with maintaining financial stability. Due to my current health condition, I experienced a decrease in work hours and income. In addition to added medical expenses and general inflation, I was unable to make my mortgage payments on time. After falling behind, OppFund provided me with a payment plan to get me back on track.”

I would like to thank all of you at Opportunity Resource Fund for helping me to achieve my goal of owning my own home. When I lost my son to cancer and I had trouble making payments, you understood and cared about what I was going through. I was unable to pay, but you worked with me and gave me the chance to catch up and trusted me to do so. You people are fantastic! Thank you for your understanding, consideration, and help. Could not have done it without you.

Thank you for helping me with my struggles. My house means a lot to me, and this program helped me keep it. Not only was I struggling with day-to-day bills, but also medical bills, doctor visits, medicine, etc. This program helped me keep my home, and I thank them for it.