Achieving Her Goals with Jumpstart

For Megan, participating in Alaska Housing Finance Corporation’s programs has led her on a journey of increased financial stability and has resulted in her achieving her goal of homeownership. Along with a lot of hard work, she credits the Jumpstart program for helping her on her path.

The Wasilla resident and mother of three had just had a baby when she found herself in between apartment rentals and searching for options. She applied for rental assistance through AHFC and was eligible for Step, a program that provides families with up to five years of gradually decreasing rental assistance while they work toward financial independence.

Growing Her Career

Megan participated in Step for about a year when she was encouraged to enroll in the Jumpstart program. Jumpstart benefits participants of AHFC’s rental assistance programs by assisting families with goal setting, employment and educational opportunities, and financial planning so they can work toward economic independence. It was spring of 2020, and the extra encouragement and financial support couldn’t have come at a better time.

“I wrote down my goals and then my advisor helped me create a plan to achieve them,” Megan said.

“As part of the process, they go through your budget with you and get to know your areas of need. It was very helpful.”

As part of the program, Megan received work reward incentives at months 3, 9 and 18 of employment, as well as financial incentives each year to help with tuition and transportation costs. She said this extra financial stability encouraged her to look for additional ways to grow her career.

“The work rewards helped motivate me to stay in my current job and now I’ve been here for four years and I’ve gained so much additional knowledge,” Megan said.

---

“Jumpstart encouraged me to think about directions I hadn’t considered. I took the free online classes that were offered and then through tuition assistance incentives, I was able to sign up for a medical billing and coding course. I wouldn’t have been able to afford those classes without Jumpstart.”

- Megan, Jumpstart participant, Wasilla

---

Working Toward Homeownership

Enrolled in a course that would open additional doors in her future and established in a job she loved, Megan began working toward another big goal.

“Since starting the program, my end goal was to purchase a home. Participating in Step and Jumpstart allowed me to start saving money toward this goal and my advisors have helped provide me with the information I need.”

Despite having planned for this purchase for years, Megan said there was still a lot to learn and numerous factors to consider when she began the homebuying process. She found that AHFC’s HomeChoice™ class helped her navigate those questions.

---

“The HomeChoice™ instructors are awesome and are able to provide so much information that isn’t even in the teaching slides. You learn so much about all the loan options that are available to you.”

- Megan, Jumpstart participant, Wasilla

---

Megan’s rental assistance and Jumpstart incentives ended this year, but she was prepared for her next chapter in life – she even made use of the savings match incentive to benefit from a boost to her savings when exiting the program and moving into her own home.

“I encourage anyone who is enrolled in AHFC’s rental assistance programs to look into Jumpstart,” Megan said.

“It’s helpful if you are looking for a job, it’s helpful if you already have a job, if you know your goals or need help setting them. It all depends on your mentality going in. This program can really help someone if you utilize it fully.”

---

To learn more about AHFC's rental assistance programs, visit ahfc.us/tenants. 

AHFC offers no-cost homebuyer education classes that can help you navigate the homebuying process, whether you're dreaming of buying your first home or returning to the market.