16 voices
Jonathan Gonzalez, Mexico
Mexico, Jonathan Gonzalez
Housing to secure children's future
A home should be a place where children can find the protection and shelter they need. With this in mind, VisionFund Mexico and Habitat for Humanity, through the Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter, work in partnership to create financing opportunities for families who need to improve their homes. As part of Habitat for Humanity’s 50th anniversary, Jonathan González, Business and Marketing Manager at our partner organization, serves as the voice representing Mexico and our partners in the financial sector. His testimony puts a human face on our efforts: children and adolescents who need a safe home in which to grow and thrive.
“VisionFund Mexico was created to improve the quality of life and well-being of our clients and their families. And what better way to do so than by improving their housing, strengthening the home environment, and supporting families so they can enjoy a fuller life?”
A Financial Institution Working to Improve Children’s Lives
Jonathan welcomes us to the VisionFund Mexico office, where motivational messages and photographs of clients decorate the walls. The organization is part of World Vision International, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of children. While World Vision focuses on social assistance, VisionFund operates as a financial institution committed to advancing financial inclusion for families who have been excluded from the traditional banking system. Its goal is to help ensure that its clients’ children have access to health care, education, adequate housing, and, ultimately, the opportunity to live with dignity.
“Through microloans, our clients are able to turn an idea into reality by starting a business. That business allows them to earn an income, and that income helps them build a better life for themselves and their children.”
For Jonathan, his eighteen years with the organization represent a connection that goes far beyond finance and numbers. He pauses for a moment as he reflects on the camaraderie of his team and remembers a colleague who sadly passed away the previous week. The painful memory does nothing to diminish his enthusiasm. With a broad smile, he emphasizes that joining the organization was a calling to serve.
“This is not a financial institution like the thousands of others out there, where everyone simply comes in and does their job. VisionFund Mexico has a very unique vision that is hard to find elsewhere. When people talk about a company's vision, it is usually about generating profitability from certain products. Here, our vision is children. Our vision is that, through our work, children's lives can be better.”
For the past eighteen years, Jonathan González has been part of the VisionFund Mexico team.
Our Partnership
In 2012, VisionFund Mexico partnered with Habitat for Humanity for the first time on the development of a housing-related study in Mexico. In 2022, the relationship was renewed through a connection with the Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter, one of Habitat for Humanity’s specialized units.
At the time, VisionFund was exploring the development of a financial product focused on home improvement, and Habitat for Humanity was able to provide the technical expertise needed to support the initiative. As a result of this collaboration, the Hogar con Visión (Visionary Home) financial product is now available to families seeking to improve their homes.
“Our current relationship with Habitat for Humanity is built on a model of technical assistance, guidance, and product design, particularly around a home improvement loan product. We launched this project and, over the years, have continued working together as we expanded the product among our clients. Habitat has supported us by monitoring progress, reviewing indicators, and participating in working sessions. Those discussions have also allowed us to explore topics such as insurance solutions for home improvement and housing protection, as well as partnerships with suppliers to provide better products and services for our clients.”
Habitat for Humanity intervenes in housing markets through the Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter. In Mexico, this unit works in partnership with various organizations to bring visibility to the challenges that prevent families from having homes that adequately meet their needs.
“What Habitat for Humanity has done for VisionFund Mexico has been to help us overcome some of the fears and concerns we sometimes had about financing other goals and purposes, giving us confidence and certainty.”
VisionFund Mexico loan officers prepare for field visits at the Córdoba, Veracruz branch, which has pioneered the promotion and disbursement of housing loans.
We Build Homes Step by Step, Hand in Hand with Families
Seventy percent of VisionFund Mexico’s clients own a home that does not meet adequate living conditions and requires improvements. To address this need, VisionFund Mexico offers progressive home improvement loans.
“Seeing the client’s happiness, seeing the pride of a client who says, ‘Look at my house. Every day I get up to work hard and give it my all, and with this loan I was able to make the improvement I had been putting off, I was able to finish what I had pending.’ I think that is invaluable.”
Jonathan refers to the example of Yolanda, one of VisionFund Mexico’s clients at the Córdoba, Veracruz branch, who owned a home that was not in optimal condition. Through three loan cycles, Yolanda improved her home and has become an inspiration for the project.
““We supported her with the first part of her project, which was to build a properly structured concrete slab for her home. Then she said, ‘I need a second line of credit.’ She paid off her loan, renewed it, and then began working on the electrical system, improving the electrical installations. After that, she moved on to painting and aesthetic improvements, and today her home is truly wonderful. So, I believe we have many more stories like this, stories that are still being built, homes that are still being improved. But for me, this is a clear example that when organizations with shared visions, missions, and a genuine focus on doing productive and meaningful things for the community and for Mexican families come together, wonderful things happen.”
“We want many more clients like Yolanda, many more clients who are able to fulfill their dreams. I believe she is an example, and I know we will have thousands more stories like hers.”
Access to Credit as a Pillar of Adequate Housing
Habitat for Humanity has studied the issue of incremental construction and the lack of access to credit. In Mexico, nearly 28 million homes have been built using this approach; however, only 4% have been able to access private financing. In this challenge, VisionFund Mexico identified a business opportunity.
“Statistics show that at least seven out of ten homes in Mexico are unfinished, half-built, with families still hoping to complete them. I believe this line of credit, this type of product, could help close that gap so these families can achieve better housing.”
This partner shares our view that an improved home is not only a place to live, but also an opportunity to improve families’ health, education, and economic development.
“When you support a family with such an important need as housing or education, the sector responds positively. So, investing in housing is something that needs to be done, and it is something that will be constructive and beneficial for everyone: for the family, for organizations, and for NGOs.”
One of VisionFund Mexico’s key learnings throughout this process has been understanding the value that a home holds for families. It is not just about owning a material asset, but also about improving it so that it meets adequate conditions and, once it is in the family’s hands, protecting it for the future.
“A family’s home in Mexico is its most important stronghold. It is what parents will pass on to their children. It is their place of peace […], the place where, after going out to work, going to school, and doing everything else, they come back together. At the end of the day, it is their home. So, we see the value it has.”
VisionFund Mexico has another client named Yolanda, who appears in the photograph preparing tortillas. Through VisionFund Mexico’s Mejora product, Yolanda has also been able to make improvements to her home, including additions, room divisions, flooring installation, and upgrades to the kitchen where she runs her business.
Together, We Build Financial Inclusion
Our partnership with VisionFund Mexico is just one example of the work we do to reduce barriers to adequate housing. Through the Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter, we seek partners who are eager to understand the base-of-the-pyramid sector and support them in positioning their products and services in these markets. When opportunities to build better homes increase, everyone benefits.
“I would invite any financial institution or NGO to join in, to encourage, promote, develop, and pilot these efforts, but first to understand, to get close to families, to go into the field. And if they do not understand, they should reach out to Habitat for Humanity or to the Terwilliger Center to understand exactly how families behave and what they need.”
As we mark our 50th anniversary, Jonathan’s voice represents our partners in the financial sector who are working to create more opportunities. His testimony joins the other 16 voices featured in our global Let’s Open the Door campaign.
If you or your organization share a passion for impact and for finding common causes across our differences, we have many opportunities and projects that may interest you. Explore our proposals on the website or contact us.
“Community development cannot be achieved through isolated or individual efforts. It must be a collective effort, where organizations, the private sector, and government work toward the same goal.”
