Many of the homeowners interviewed made initial housing choices based on that myth. Sixty percent of the owners interviewed had previously lived in a mobile home or were considering doing so at the time of home purchase. In many ways this myth served to undermine the civic fabric of Santa Fe. It encouraged people to opt out of a system fundamentally designed to broaden wealth and create a middle class. With the perception that the door to home ownership was effectively closed, families increasingly abandoned savings and an orientation toward a future goal of owning a home, separating themselves from the mainstream and lowering expectations.
Home ownership is more than a simple form of tenure or a commodity.
For many native Santa Feans, it is a cherished family possession to be passed down through generations and a symbol of being rooted to the land. As such, preserving home ownership is important to a family's sense of future and belonging. A key factor in preserving home ownership is helping families maintain their homes, so they can be passed down to the next generation. Housing-rehabilitation lending strengthens the civic fabric, because it affirms people's sense of rootedness. Two persons interviewed had inherited family homes in what had become expensive sections of Santa Fe.