TSAHC Partner Spotlight: Janie Vela with Affordable Homes of South Texas, Inc.

October 25, 2024 | by Anna Orendain

Categories: Spotlight

We periodically spotlight a staff member or partner to help our readers get to know our mission and industry a little better.

This week we interviewed Janie Vela, Vice President and Director of Homebuyer Development at Affordable Homes of South Texas, Inc. (AHSTI), a nonprofit based in McAllen, Texas. Janie has used TSAHC's programs in the past (our Housing Connection training) to enhance her work and amplify the impact that AHSTI makes in its community.

Below is our interview with Janie.

Tell us a little bit about Affordable Homes of South Texas, Inc. and the work that you do there.

Affordable Homes of South Texas, Inc. is a non profit organization from McAllen, TX dedicated to providing affordable housing and related services to eligible families. We're very excited to have recently celebrated our 48th anniversary! 

Our organization has five certified advisors on staff that assist our customers in providing essential information throughout the homebuying process. I am the Vice President and Director of Homebuyer Development.

What types of counseling services does AHSTI provide?

AHSTI provides pre-purchase, rental, credit, financial capability, and foreclosure prevention counseling. 

Tell us about yourself and how you were first introduced to the housing world.

I started as the Customer Service Representative at AHSTI in 2012. I was halfway through completing my Bachelors in Criminal Justice, just looking for a job to get me through graduation.

Throughout my time at AHSTI, I found a passion for helping the community and was given the opportunity to move up within the organization. I quickly became a counselor and that passion grew as I aided families in their goal of achieving the American Dream. 

Walk us through a typical day for you at AHSTI.

I walk in, greet my staff, grab a cup of coffee, and review our pipeline to check on our customers. Talking to both customers and staff that have questions throughout today. Monitoring the work of the counselors and being available for customer specific questions. 

What is your favorite thing about the work you do?

We recently started doing Closing Celebrations, in which some of our staff wait for customers to walk out of their closing and surprise them in the lobby with party horns and streamers.

Watching their faces light up as they realize the magnitude of their accomplishment is one of the greatest feelings. It also reminds staff of the mission behind the work they do and allows a little break from our normal day-to-day tasks. 

You got to know TSAHC through our Housing Connection training for counselors and we appreciate the work you do as a counselor. Tell us about your experience going through that training and what people who are interested in attending should expect.

Trainings through TSAHC have consistently been great! It’s always a good experience getting to network and learn best practices from individuals who do the same work you do. The low cost has allowed us to send more than one counselor per year in the past, which is great for the organization!

Which personal or professional accomplishments are you most proud of?

Passing the HUD exam in June of 2018 on my first attempt is definitely up there! I'm also proud of starting at AHSTI as a Customer Service Representative and earning the opportunities to move up in the organization, leading to myself now holding the position of the Director of my department. 

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