Section 8 Households Find Path to Homeownership
Glendale's Family Self-Sufficiency program pairs assisted renters with a success coach and escrow savings toward a down payment.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Residential
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Jose Quevedo, a Glendale resident who spent 19 years on Section 8 housing assistance, bought his first home in 2025 through the city's Family Self-Sufficiency program. The program has graduated 11 residents and produced 3 homeowners over the past three years.
Why it matters
For households living on housing assistance, the program offers a structured path toward ownership, pairing participants with a success coach and down payment help. Officials are looking to widen access, which could affect families in Glendale who are weighing whether homeownership is realistic.
Over the past three years the program has graduated 11 Glendale residents and produced 3 homeowners, with $89,077 in escrow funds disbursed to participants. Officials hope to grow the program from 50 participants to 75 and extend eligibility to youth in public housing.
The players
Jose Quevedo
A Glendale resident who spent 19 years on Section 8 assistance, joined the Air Force Reserve, and now works at Lockheed Martin at Luke Air Force Base.
Trellis
A partner organization of the Family Self-Sufficiency program that provided Quevedo with down payment assistance.
The details
Participants in the Family Self-Sufficiency program are paired with a personal success coach who helps with budgeting, credit building, and goal setting, such as a vision board. Quevedo was first contacted by a program coordinator who sent a letter inviting him to discuss homeownership. He received down payment assistance through Trellis, an FSS partner organization, after working toward the goal alongside his coach.
Timeline
2025: Jose Quevedo buys his first home through the program.
Past three years: the program graduates 11 residents and produces 3 homeowners.
The Home Front
Glendale's program applies the federal Section 8 Family Self-Sufficiency model, which links rent-assistance households to escrow savings and case management, to the goal of buying a home. The city's graduate and homeowner counts are small, but they show the model producing ownership outcomes locally.
If you receive housing assistance or are thinking about buying, ask your local housing authority whether a Family Self-Sufficiency program is available in your area. Before applying for any down payment help, contact a HUD-approved housing counselor and a licensed lender to review your credit and budget.
The takeaway
Programs that pair housing-assistance households with a coach and savings escrow can lead to ownership, as Glendale's three homeowners show. If you want to explore this path, ask your housing authority about FSS enrollment and keep a written budget and credit plan on file.
Further reading
For more on buying a home in the area, explore Residential coverage on We are Home.
Source note: This article includes information reported by abc15 Arizona.
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