DETROIT, May 7, 2009 —Hector Hernandez is the new director of the Housing Opportunity Center at Southwest Housing Solutions.

Hernandez brings substantial experience and expertise in affordable housing and homeownership issues to the leadership position. He also has deep roots in southwest Detroit and its Hispanic community. Hernandez was born and raised in southwest Detroit, went to grade school and high school at Holy Redeemer, and has been working on addressing the housing and development needs in the area for two decades.

“I am devoted to southwest Detroit and its residents, and it is because of that devotion that I decided to join Southwest Solutions,” said Hernandez. “The culture and commitment of this agency to make a difference in the community is second to none.”

Hernandez is very familiar with the Housing Opportunity Center (HOC) and Southwest Housing Solutions (SWHS). He has been a member of the SWHS board since 1999 and has served as its chair. Hernandez has also served on the board of the Mexicantown Community Development Corporation since 1998. In 1989, Hernandez joined the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) as a property specialist, and then became its Section 8 Area Manager in 1994. From 2004 until joining the HOC, Hernandez was director of Assisted Housing Programs for the Detroit Housing Commission.

“We are very fortunate to have someone with such impressive credentials as the new director of the HOC,” said Tim Thorland, executive director of SWHS. “The HOC already serves a vital role in the community by promoting and preserving homeownership, and under Hector’s leadership and vision, we hope to expand the valuable services that the HOC provides.”

The HOC’s professional and bilingual counselors provide homebuyer education, home repair loans, foreclosure prevention counseling, and financial fitness and credit counseling. Its mission is to help individuals and families make good economic choices, avoid harmful debt and predatory lenders, and gain wealth and the dream of homeownership. The HOC’s services are free.

“Although we already serve a significant number of Spanish-speaking clients, one of my goals is to enhance our outreach efforts in the Hispanic community and make the community more aware of our excellent bilingual services,” Hernandez said. “In addition, the opportunities for homeownership are tremendous right now because of low home prices and interest rates.”