TAMPA - You would think that poor people, those who can't afford to make a down payment, would be the first to lose their homes in a housing crisis.

You'd be wrong.

Since 2006, nearly 1,000 very-low to moderate-income people have bought homes in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties with government assistance.

Only 10 have lost their homes to foreclosure.

It's a staggeringly small number compared with the total foreclosure cases - 62,112 - filed in Hillsborough and Pinellas between January 2006 and January 2009.

Across the country, millions of Americans have lost or are in danger of losing their homes. Many bought houses that exceeded their income, financing the properties with adjustable-rate mortgages that grew too costly or interest-only loans that prevented them from acquiring any equity.

Low-income, first-time homebuyers, however, aren't allowed to buy more house than they can afford.

Down-payment assistance programs place strict requirements on buyers. And they require mandatory counseling and classes to teach buyers how to budget their finances, maintain their properties and not exceed their means.

"It just made you aware of prioritizing and things that you maybe cannot have once you buy your home, and things you should consider before you buy a home," said Fayola Caines, a single mother of three who received down-payment help from Hillsborough County to buy her first home in August 2008.

"I think some people say, 'I'm approved for this so I can go ahead and get it,' and not take into consideration, no, you can't actually afford it."

Caines, 28, works full time. She is working on a master's degree in mental health counseling, as well as attending a cosmetology school for hair care.

She said before she bought her house, she stopped using her credit cards. She calculated how much she would save on day care. And she didn't give in when her mortgage broker said she could afford a more expensive house.

"I prepared my budget to afford a certain price," she said. "I think I was more aggressive with my mortgage brokers because they were showing me five-bedroom, extravagant homes that were in my price range."

Her resolve paid off: "I'm not going to be on a foreclosure list," she said. "This is my home we're talking about and my credit."

That's the kind of attitude that housing officials like to see. They urge low-income residents to take responsibility in order to stave off problems.

For instance, St. Petersburg requires pre- and post-closing counseling and classes such as homeowner maintenance and family budgeting. Since 2006, only about 2 percent, or 3 people out of 134 receiving assistance, have lost their homes.

"You add all of those up and you come up with a safety network that has helped a lot of people," said Tom de Yampert, manager of housing and community development. "In their training, they're taught if you do get in trouble, call early. And they do that."

Since 2006, Pinellas County's affordable housing program has had three foreclosures out 191, which equals 1.5 percent.

"The more informed they are about the home-buying process, the more successful they are in home ownership," said Daphne Johnson, senior community planning specialist for the Pinellas County Community Development and Housing Finance Authority.

In Tampa and Hillsborough, less than 1 percent of people receiving down-payment assistance since January 2006 have lost their homes.

Tampa's housing and community development office has reported just one foreclosure out of 247 people helped. And Hillsborough's affordable housing office has had just three foreclosures out of 411 people helped.

"We don't allow any type of adjustable, interest-only loans. It has to be a 30-year fixed," said Valmarie Turner, Hillsborough's affordable housing director. "We have our own internal ratios, and if they exceed those, regardless of what the lender says, we won't approve them."

The maximum first mortgage allowed in Hillsborough's program is 35 percent of an applicant's total household income. Officials verify income by checking bank statements and tax returns.

In Pasco County, the foreclosure rate is slightly higher - about 3 percent to 5 percent of homebuyers receiving assistance, according to George Romagnoli, manager of the county's Community Development division.

Since 2006, most foreclosures have been caused by rising property insurance costs, Romagnoli said, or by residents abandoning their homes once the property value fell well below their loan value.

Most affordable housing programs also have foreclosure prevention help available. In St. Petersburg, for instance, the number of lost homes would be much higher if not for such help.

De Yampert said that since 2006, 43 people have faced the threat foreclosure. All but three were able to rebound and save their homes.

In reality, low-income residents may be better prepared to handle the financial impact of a housing crisis coupled with a lagging economy.

Call it a survival mechanism.

"Lower-income folks tend to have multiple jobs," de Yampert said.

And they often work minimum-wage positions, which are more readily available, even in a recession.

"If an engineer loses his job or her job, to find another engineering job may take years," he said. "But if someone is in manufacturing or housekeeping, they can replace that job much faster."

The amount of down-payment assistance that low-income residents can receive also helps to significantly lower mortgage payments. In Hillsborough, in 2008, the average assistance ranged between $20,000 and $60,000.

"It's easier to find a hustle job where you can manage a mortgage at $900," Turner said, "versus someone who makes $80,000-90,000 a year and they've lost that income and their mortgage is $2,500 a month."

Reporter John W. Allman can be reached at (813) 259-7915.