Leaders striving to preserve the American dream of homeownership were recognized as "Housing Heroes" today by Arizona Secretary of State Betsey Bayless, Fannie Mae (FNM/NYSE), the nation’s largest source of financing for home mortgages, and the Arizona Housing Counseling Collaborative (AHCC). The Housing Heroes Award recognizes organizations and individuals throughout Arizona who have improved and expanded affordable housing, or whose efforts have improved the quality
of life for low- to moderate-income families.

This year’s winners are U.S. Representative J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ), who worked with Fannie Mae to bring reverse mortgages to seniors in the state; U.S. Representative Ed Pastor (D-AZ), for his partnerships that secured low down payments for mortgages through the new Home to Own initiative; and the Arizona Fair Housing Partnership, for consistently providing equal opportunities in home purchasing for Arizona residents.

Fannie Mae and the AHCC began presenting the Housing Heroes Award in 1999 in an effort to publicly recognize leaders working to help meet Arizona’s affordable housing needs. The awards ceremony marked the beginning of the American Homebuyer Education and Counseling Training Institute (AHECTI),
a week long accreditation and certification course for housing education and counseling providers from across the state.

"Housing is the cornerstone of economic security and is the ladder of opportunity for millions of families in our nation," said Secretary of State Betsey Bayless.
"I am delighted to be able to present these champions of homeownership with the Housing Heroes Award as a way to honor their dedication to providing affordable housing for so many hard working families in Arizona."

"I am honored to be recognized for working with seniors in Arizona to ensure they are up-to-date on their housing options and resources," said Rep. Hayworth. "It’s a priority for many seniors to maintain their financial independence while continuing to live in their home."

"It was a great pleasure to have worked with the National Council of La Raza and Fannie Mae on the Home to Own initiative and to be honored for my efforts as a Housing Hero," said Rep. Pastor. The Home to Own initiative provided first-time home buyers in Arizona’s Yuma County access to $7 million in flexible mortgages with low down payment requirements.

"We are delighted to be Housing Heroes in the State of Arizona," said Terry Goddard, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development state coordinator and the key founder of the Arizona Fair Housing Partnership. "Every family should have equal access to quality, affordable housing and we are dedicated to securing fair housing for all."

"This was a challenging year for providing affordable housing in the state," said Bill Slater, executive director of AHCC. "We are recognizing two members of Congress today who stood fast on the importance of homeownership, and an organization that developed a broad base of partners to further fair and affordable homeownership in the state."

"Fannie Mae is pleased to recognize Congressmen Hayworth and Pastor, and the Arizona Fair Housing Partnership for their dedication to helping working families realize the dream of homeownership," said Elisa de la Vara, director of Fannie Mae’s Phoenix Partnership Office. "These Housing Heroes share Fannie Mae’s commitment to lowering the costs of homeownership so that more low- to moderate-income families can afford a home of their own."

Fannie Mae’s participation in the Housing Heroes Awards is part of its "HousePhoenix" a five-year, $3.5 billion investment plan to finance affordable housing for 43,000 Phoenix families. HousePhoenix is part of the company’s nationwide $2 trillion "American Dream Commitment" to increase homeownership rates and serve 18 million targeted families by the end of
the decade.

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