(San Jose: December 22, 2003) The Housing Trust of Santa Clara County and Silicon Valley Habitat for Humanity are helping a Los Gatos family of six spend their first holidays in their new home, thanks to funds arranged through the Housing Trust and the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco.

At an 11:00 a.m. ceremony today, officials from the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County and the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco will present Atto and Winnie Kelete with a check for $21,500 to complete the
Kalete family’s purchase of their new home, one built with community support and with labor from the Keletes and many Silicon Valley Habitat for Humanity volunteers. The funds come from the recently-created
HomeStart program, which combines up to $15,000 in FHLBank-SF funds with a $6,500 First Time Homebuyer loan from the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County. The Kelete family will complete their purchase of a home at 25 Charles Street in Los Gatos in time to spend their first Christmas in their new home.

The pilot HomeStart program ends on a note of success with this loan: 12 families earning under 60% of area median income have purchased their first home thanks to the program. “Teachers, service and support workers have become homeowners in Santa Clara County thanks to HomeStart, and now we’re wrapping up by helping Silicon Valley Habitat for Humanity complete their Los Gatos project,” said Housing Trust of Santa Clara County Executive Director Roccie Hill. “We’ve proven that it’s possible for workers to own homes near their jobs, even in a high-home-cost area like Silicon Valley,” added Hill.