Montana Pioneer: Willis Bonner
Willis Bonner serves as a powerful role model for people with disabilities across the country and proves with a lot of persistence and creativity- not to mention, help from organizations like A.W.A.R.E. and the Montana Home Choice Coalition- the American Dream of owning a home of your own can become a reality.

Willis Bonner is a pioneer. One of the first people in the state of Montana to use his HUD Section 8 Voucher for homeownership, Willis joined the elite ten percent of people with developmental disabilities to own his own home. Because of his love of sports and animals, Willis longed to live in a place that allowed him to be active in his community of Glendive, MT. He was also tired of being a renter- he wanted the freedom to live the way he chose. Yet, due to the rapidly increasing cost of homeownership in Montana, Willis knew that he would need help.

Willis volunteers at a local kennel, bathing dogs and is an avid sports fan. Because he lives in a small community, the public transportation is limited and on nights and weekends- nonexistent. He was finding it increasingly difficult to make the three-mile bike ride to the kennel, be the high school Red Devil mascot, attend church and hang out at his favorite coffee shop. His goal was to own a house that was near the downtown area so he could really be part of the community he loved.

Willis attended one of the first community outreach meetings to help people with disabilities become homeowners. With the help of A.W.A.R.E., a non-profit organization that has served the Eastern Montana community (which encompasses 19 counties and covers more than one-third of the land mass of Montana) by providing a variety of community-based services for families and children, he set up a savings account, and started looking for the perfect home. Meanwhile, Gloria Garceau-Glaser at A.W.A.R.E. worked on the financing. People in the low-income housing and real estate fields called it “layered financing”- but in Willis’s case, that was an understatement.

The Fannie Mae Home Choice program for people with disabilities was a critical component. Since Willis was one of the first people in Montana to use his Section 8 Voucher towards his mortgage, the people at A.W.A.R.E. had to convince the banks that this was not really a risk. A.W.A.R.E. provided $12,210 in downpayment assistance, Montana Board of Housing provided $500 in earnest money, and Montana Statewide Homeowners Assistance (HOME funds) provided $7,500 just to open doors for Willis. This coupled with the low-interest mortgage through Fannie Mae and the Section 8 Voucher providing on-going mortgage payments further closed the affordability gap. However, the only house that was in Willis’s price range, in the area he wanted to live needed a lot of work. The two bedroom 1,000 square foot home with a fenced yard needed a new roof and bathroom. Willis received a 1% interest loan for home repairs from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Now, nearly four years after first moving into his dream home, Willis is positive he made the right decision and insists that it was worth all the work. He loves fixing up and taking care of his house. His new goals are to buy a computer, learn to drive and continue studying at the adult learning center. Willis does have some advice for other prospective homeowners- learn how important having good credit is and always pay your bills on time! Willis serves as a powerful role model for people with disabilities across the country and proves with a lot of persistence and creativity- not to mention, help from organizations like A.W.A.R.E. and the Montana Home Choice Coalition- the American Dream of owning a home of your own can become a reality.