For many, purchasing a home can feel like a dream out of reach.
Jazzmen Williams thought so. She rented in Fort Myers and Lehigh Acres for about 15 years, having to move constantly due to rising rent.
Then, in 2025, she said one of her goals was to become a homeowner. That April, Williams decided to try the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, also known as NACA.
NACA is a nonprofit housing advocacy organization that aims to make homeownership more accessible to long-time renters.
Its mortgage program offers no down payment, no closing costs and has no credit score requirements. Instead, the organization checks participants’ payment and income history.
While she was originally skeptical of the program at the start, Williams became a homeowner six months later, purchasing a new three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Fort Myers’ Midtown area.
“At first I was like, ‘are you sure?’” she said. “So I tried it. It worked for me and I’m here today and I’ve been in my home. I love it.”
NACA founder and CEO Bruce Marks says the organization has helped over 75,000 people like Williams become homeowners.
“We fight to ensure people have the opportunity to be a homeowner,” NACA founder and CEO Bruce Marks said. “If you’re paying your rent and you’re paying reasonably on time, you should be able to get a mortgage that is at your rent or less.”
The organization’s partnership with Bank of America is how it is able to offer below market fixed-rates. According to its website, NACA has $20 billion committed to its mortgage program – $15 billion of which is from Bank of America.
“It’s hard to rent and try to save money for a down payment,” Williams said. “NACA helps a lot of people because they’re able to still buy. You can’t just not pay your rent to try to save for a down payment. You’re gonna be homeless.”
Marks says the concept of NACA is similar to the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, also known as the G.I. Bill that helped World War II veterans become homeowners with low-cost mortgages.
“It’s not a new concept,” Marks said. “It’s that now we’re doing this for people who have been subjected to systemic racism or low-to-moderate income people generally who are prevented from affordable homeownership because they don’t have the down payment or closing costs.”
In order to qualify for a NACA mortgage, participants must go through a four-step homebuying qualification process.
The steps are attending a homebuyer workshop, uploading financial documents, a one-on-one counseling session, and meeting with a mortgage specialist to determine qualification. The homebuyer controls the process, meaning that it’s possible for all steps to be completed in just one day.
Tonisha Little from Orlando is a mother of two. She says she and her fiancé began the process in February and received approval during NACA’s Fort Myers event from June 5-7.
“It’s (being a homeowner) a part of the American dream,” she said. “I want my kids to have something that we are stabilized in, not just thinking about moving because maybe the lease is up or you don’t like this place anymore.”
Williams shared a similar perspective, saying that purchasing a home was an investment for her future.
“I absolutely love my house,” Williams said. “Yes, I’m spending money, but I’m investing in myself. Instead of paying somebody else’s mortgage, I pay my own mortgage now.”
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