Owning a home can be transformational. Now, DACA recipients eligible for help | Opinion

DACA changed our lives.

As a former undocumented immigrant for more than 20 years, a former recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and a U.S. citizen for two years, I am part of the small and lucky group of people who managed to adjust their immigration status through a spouse or family member. This expanded my access and privilege to do things I could have only ever aspired to most of my life.

Growing up undocumented barred me from youth sports, traveling on field trips, visiting my family back home in Mexico or applying for financial aid for college. I couldn’t even get a driver’s license when I turned 16. I dreamed of one day being able to serve the communities I come from and that are most in need. DACA made that dream a reality for me.

Those of us who have lived as undocumented immigrants and who have families that continue to work, struggle and sacrifice without the privilege of a Social Security number, know that life can be a cycle of exclusion, oppression and hardship.

DACA was meant as a short-term compromise at a time when no other long-term policy measure could be passed, yet it has deeply affected our families and collective communities.

As the first former DACA recipient to have ever been appointed by the White House, I am proud to serve in an administration that values representation and that works to protect our country’s diversity.

As a member of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development team, I am proud to work for an agency that is opening pathways for communities that were previously left out and left behind to become first-time and, often, first-generation homebuyers.

Two years ago, I became the first in my family to buy my own home. I grew up in apartments throughout central and northern New Mexico while my parents worked double shifts to provide for my siblings and me. I never fully understood the notion of a family owning a home because it was a surreal, unattainable goal for undocumented immigrant families.

As a first-generation homeowner, I understand the long-term impact that owning a home has upon our families, communities, personal empowerment and generational wealth. It’s an opportunity every family should have.

The White House recently released a DACA Factsheet to clarify federal benefits available to DACA recipients, amplifying that they are now, without question, eligible for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) programs, thanks to an important clarification made on Day 1 of the Biden administration. FHA-insured mortgages support affordable-home financing for first-time homebuyers and others with limited means for a down payment.

DACA recipients can also receive free or low-cost advice about buying a home, renting, avoiding mortgage default and foreclosure, transitioning from homelessness or simple budgeting, all through HUD-approved counseling agencies.

In addition, the White House highlighted recent action by Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who has proposed a rule “amending the definition of ‘lawful presence’, for purposes of Medicaid and Affordable Care Act coverage, to include DACA recipients.”

This is a reminder that DACA and immigrant communities are, and continue to be, a priority for this administration. Building on the real progress we have made, we will continue to work collectively toward a long-term fix for undocumented communities. To paraphrase HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, “When DREAMers succeed, our economy is strengthened. . . . Access to safe, stable housing is a key factor to that success.”

We live in a country where a former undocumented girl from Chihuahua, Mexico, raised in New Mexico, was able to receive a presidential appointment to serve this country. For hundreds of years, immigrants have come to this country with dreams of a better life, in search of opportunities led by willpower, resilience and fortaleza that has made the United States the strong nation of immigrants it is.

The American Dream is truly real. I know — I live it each and every day.

Cindy Nava serves in the Biden-Harris Administration as a senior policy advisor in the office of Field Policy and Management at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

To locate a HUD-approved housing counseling agency visit hud.gov/local. or call 800-569-4287. Services are available in many languages, including Spanish, Korean, Portuguese, and Mandarin Chinese.