HomeOwnership Center celebrating 20 years

The Rotary Club of Elkins heard about how the HomeOwnership Center serves citizens of north central West Virginia during their regular meeting Monday.

Kate Somers, executive director of the HomeOwnership Center, said the center is celebrating 20 years of service this week, after first being established in 1998.

The Inter-Mountain photo by Brooke Binns On behalf of Elkins Rehabilitation and Care Center, Betsy Jones, chief financial officer, second from left, and Tara Shaver, administrator, present the Rotary Club of Elkins with a $1,000 donation for the club’s amphitheater project in the Elkins Town Square. Also pictured are Hoy Ferguson, past Rotary president, left, and Carl Nichols, Rotary president.

The Inter-Mountain photo by Brooke Binns On behalf of Elkins Rehabilitation and Care Center, Betsy Jones, chief financial officer, second from left, and Tara Shaver, administrator, present the Rotary Club of Elkins with a $1,000 donation for the club’s amphitheater project in the Elkins Town Square. Also pictured are Hoy Ferguson, past Rotary president, left, and Carl Nichols, Rotary president.

“Over the last 20 years, we have had over 4,100 folks come through our doors for services,” she said.

The center serves eight counties in north central West Virginia, including Randolph, Tucker, Barbour, Pocahontas, Pendleton, Upshur, Lewis and Webster.

“There are some really important things that home ownership means – there are studies that say it brings us safer and more stable neighborhoods, more civic participation, improved education attainment, better health outcomes and a more stable workforce,” Somers said. “There are also specifics about higher tax revenues, direct sales and indirect benefits to our local businesses because people are investing in their homes.”

Kate Somers gives a presentation to the Rotary Club of Elkins Monday about how the HomeOwnership Center, located in Elkins, offers assistance to citizens of north central West Virginia.

Kate Somers gives a presentation to the Rotary Club of Elkins Monday about how the HomeOwnership Center, located in Elkins, offers assistance to citizens of north central West Virginia.

Somers went on to emphasize that the center’s mission is to strengthen communities.

“The mission of the HomeOwnership Center brings that all together – we’re trying to strengthen the communities in north central West Virginia through home ownership and we do that by creating and supporting successful home owners through responsible mortgage lending, through our financial advising services and through our home buyer and owner education courses,” she said.

The center is dedicated to enhancing financial fitness and home ownership opportunities for residents in the eight-county service area by offering a variety of services including credit and finance advising, home buyer education, down payment assistance and mortgage loans.