Texas Home Of Your Own (HOYO) program
PROGRAM OF UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY OF GREATER HOUSTON
No Longer available in the state of Texas
HOYO worked with one-on-one with people with disabilities, helping them become homeowners. Eligible households could quality for $15,000 in DOWN PAYMENT and CLOSING COSTS assistance.
Texas Home of Your Own (HOYO) program was not canceled due to a specific political controversy or scandal, but rather because it was a grant-funded, nonprofit-led coalition rather than a permanent, legislated state entitlement program.
The program’s conclusion and shift in availability can be attributed to three main structural factors:
- Shift to Centralized State Programs
The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) shifted its strategy away from specialized, standalone disability coalitions and toward centralized, all-inclusive homebuyer programs. Rather than maintaining HOYO, the state integrated accessibility support, down payment assistance, and low-interest loans directly into primary programs such as My First Texas Home and My Choice Texas Home.
- Dependency on Grant Cycles
HOYO was originally created in 1995 as a public-private partnership spearheaded by United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Texas and funded heavily by multi-year demonstration grants from the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities (TCDD). When these specific grant cycles concluded or their multi-year terms ended, the dedicated, separate framework for the HOYO coalition phased out.
- Allocation and Nonprofit Restructuring
Because the down payment assistance and barrier-removal funds offered by HOYO were always explicitly tethered to the “availability of funds” distributed through local UCP chapters, localized budget shortfalls and broader operational restructuring within the partnering nonprofit networks meant that the standalone program eventually ceased active intake.
Current Texas Homebuyer Alternatives
If you are looking for similar specialized or general homeownership assistance in Texas, you can look into these active resources:
- TDHCA Mainstream Programs: Programs like My First Texas Home offer 30-year low-interest rates and flexible down payment assistance. Certain first-time buyer requirements are explicitly waived for qualified veterans.
- TSAHC Programs: The Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation (TSAHC) provides down payment assistance grants or forgivable second liens up to 5% of the loan amount for low-to-moderate-income families.
- Local Initiatives: Regional initiatives like Own the HOU (operating in the Houston/Harris County region) help low-to-moderate-income buyers navigate local down payment networks and educational requirements.
To see if you are eligible for assistance contact Bill Edge at 713-240-2949.