Promises kept, goals met: Meet new homeowner Carolina Reyes, a 2025 FSS program graduate
One week before closing on her first home—a cozy yellow ranch she has named “La Chiquita”—Carolina Reyes made time for one more thing.
“Hi, I’m sorry for the delay,” said Reyes, as she joined Way Finders for a virtual interview from her car. “I was in Citizens Bank just now, trying to finalize the documents they need for my mortgage. It’s been very busy, I’m awaiting the appraisal. But Citizens has been very helpful.”
“La Chiquita,” winter 2026
More than stress, Reyes exuded excitement. She has been waiting a decade for this moment, since she moved into an apartment in Springfield following a divorce.
“I promised myself at the time that I was not going to move out until I found my own house,” said Reyes, a 2025 graduate of Way Finders’ Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program. “I moved into the apartment with nothing, I left everything I had. My three children were older, one went to school, the other went to live with her father. My son, who has autism and is not verbal, moved into a residential setting. I struggled with empty nest syndrome for a few years.”
Fast forward to 2020, when Reyes, a self-employed interpreter, had to adapt anew.
“I’d been working for many different offices in the community, doing interpreting at the school department, the state department, also hospitals and the Connecticut courts. When the pandemic came, the courts closed, the hospital didn’t want anybody from outside. I ended up without a job,” said Reyes, who wasn’t eligible to receive unemployment or federal stimulus payments.
While living largely off savings, she hustled—driving for Uber, making food deliveries, and driving for Walmart’s Point Pickup.
“I was doing a lot, but it wasn’t a lot of money. I’d been trying to build up my credit, but I wasn’t able to. And then Evelyn called me,” said Reyes of Family Self-Sufficiency Advisor Evelyn Baez, who reached out in January 2022. “She asked me to join the Family Self-Sufficiency Program. She asked about my goals and began calling every week, checking on me and pushing me.”
It was the right call at the right time. The five-year program, which combines one-on-one mentoring with financial incentives, is designed to help recipients of a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher to make an action plan for financial stability. Reyes was soon hired as a case coordinator with Behavioral Health Network, helping people with addiction and other mental health needs. In 2023, she completed the Latino Addiction Counseling Education Program and now works as a care manager for BHN.
As she reflects on her FSS journey, what stands out most is how the past few years helped her accelerate toward her goals. Toward a permanent job. Financial stability. Complete independence.
“I was able to accomplish so many things in these past three years, things I’d been trying to do for maybe ten years. Age is not a barrier when you have determination and the right support!” said Reyes, who graduated from the FSS program early, due to her growth in income, and also completed the First-time Homebuyer Workshop. “I wouldn’t have been able to it without Evelyn, she did an amazing job and it’s an amazing program. I really needed it. Having someone to listen to my ideas and add to them, it was a big help.”
Reyes recalled a time when she nearly broke her promise to herself: “I was having an issue with one of my neighbors, I was ready to move out and betray myself. Then I called Evelyn. I was very weak at that time. She gave me the strength I needed.”
From left, Way Finders’ Evelyn Baez with FSS graduate Carolina Reyes
“I remember that conversation. I think Carolina was seeing her goal of homeownership as far away, but for me, I could see it was right there!” said Baez. “I told her, ‘You’re making steps, moving forward. Never let anyone take away what you’ve already worked so hard for! If it’s a problem with a neighbor, talk to the landlord. Look for a work-around.’”
When Reyes faced a different barrier in 2025—her credit score being below the threshold to qualify for affordable mortgage products—it was Baez who offered a solution.
“The barrier was her credit card balance was too high, she’d been helping family. I came up with the idea to request an interim disbursement of the money Carolina had saved in escrow through the FSS program, so she could pay that off,” said Baez, who connected Reyes with Homeownership Specialist Arcides Nieves for counseling. “It worked! About 30 days later, her credit score started going up.”
In working with Nieves, the focus was on administering her finances to ensure long-term success as a homeowner—ready to weather unexpected expenses. When it came time to look for homes, the process went quickly.
“I already knew what I wanted, a house for my son that can be adapted to his condition, with space for a sensory room, a finished basement, and lots of natural light,” said Reyes, who plans for her son to live and receive services at their new home. “And it had to be affordable enough so I could continue to save to buy another house in the future, for my daughter.”
Reyes and her son already have plans to give back to their community, as they hope to open a food pantry out of their garage. And, someday, she dreams of offering programs and workshops at La Chiquita for adults with autism.
New homeowner Carolina Reyes
“There aren’t a lot of day programs in Springfield for individuals with challenging behavior like my son. I want to create a program for people to have a place to go, to be around nature and have a place to come together. I’m going to see if I can do it, if I can get the right staff in place,” said Reyes, who is thrilled to have a place where she can build history with her son. “Owning something that is mine, it feels like freedom and independence. It’s like a treasure box that I can keep for years.”
Congratulations to you, Carolina!