Several years ago, Chandra Hawkins, 44 years old, was jobless and living out of her car. After being married for 15 years, she became a single mom with nothing to her name. A custody battle with the father of her three sons left her drowning in legal fees. She couldn’t keep up with her credit card bills. Her credit score tanked. But what she really wanted was “a home that my boys could come home to that was just mine, that was in my name,” she says. She sought help from Money Management International (MMI), a credit counseling nonprofit, in 2022. Today, she’s repaid $10,000 in debt, improved her credit nearly 100 points and recently bought a new-build home in Missouri. Setting the scene on homebuying Credit and homeownership are closely correlated. When you apply for a mortgage, your credit score affects your chances of getting approved. It also helps determine your interest rate — and even a fraction of a percentage point can cost thousands over the life of a loan.…