During the week, Willie Pestolesi bags groceries at Albertson's grocery store, but on the weekend, he is DJ Willpower. Willie serves as a DJ at parties and dances and while he plays all types of music, he personally prefers Will Smith, Backstreet Boys, and N'SYNC. Born with Down Syndrome, at just 22 years of age Willie is preparing to buy his own home in one of the most expensive housing markets in the country- Orange County, CA. In nine months, Willie managed to save $5,000 in the Neighborhood Works IDEA (Individual Development Empowerment Account, similar in structure to an Individual Development Account- IDA) program.

The Neighborhood Housing Services of Orange County program has strict guidelines for accepting applicants into their IDEA program. They require that each participant have the realistic possibility of buying a home in the next 18 months. They want to ensure that only serious first-time homebuyers are the recipients of their services- including financial planning classes and the 3:1 match. Willie fit the bill. He was eager to learn, had steady income, and had a great support system of family and service providers. Graduating from the program in 9 months, Willie will receive $15,000 as a match to his $5,000 personal contribution.

Willie is part of the Bridges to Self-Sufficiency Youth Transition Demonstration project at the Irvine Unified School District. The Bridges program is part of a demonstration project sponsored by the Social Security Administration, which granted a variety of waivers in order to promote employment and economic independence (See the 2004 December EQUITY Feature article for more information on these projects). One of the waivers allowed Willie to take part in the IDA program. The waiver stipulates that even programs not receiving Federal funding (either Asset for Independence Act- AFIA or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families-TANF) does not count as an asset for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Since Willie still receives some SSI, it was essential to have the waiver in order to fully benefit and not jeopardize his SSI. Willie is the first participant of the Youth Transition Demonstration programs in the entire country to utilize the IDA waiver.

Willie did not stop with just accessing the IDEA program services and funds; he is also eligible for a CAL grant offered by the California National Bank. In total, he has managed to piece together nearly $80,000 towards a downpayment on his house. Unfortunately, for Willie, because of his limited income, he only qualifies for a loan of $165,000. In many parts of the country, this would buy a nice home; yet, in Orange County, Willie's options are severely limited. This situation highlights a serious challenge across the country (especially in competitive housing markets) facing IDA programs. Even when providing a substantial match and tapping into all the supports in the area, there is a critical shortage of affordable housing. Unless Willie is able to find a house that he can afford in the next 18 months, he will be forced to forfeit the matching funds he earned in the IDEA program.

Despite the challenges, Willie remains undeterred. He continues to save, even though he has saved the maximum amount available for the IDEA match. He is determined to find a home of his own. In the mean time, keep your eyes open and ears peeled- DJ Willpower just may be spinning at your next party.