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At an event planned by her office, the governor helped Maria Magdalena Contreras unload the last few boxes of items into what will be the first home the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ native owns. But the real purpose of the event was to discuss the existing help available.

In this case, Contreras got $30,000 in down-payment assistance through the “ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is Home’’ program. She said that enabled her, as a recent widow with four children, to move out of a place she had been renting for eight years and to begin accumulating equity into a house that she can pass on to the next generation.

“They had dreamed of home ownership together,’’ Hobbs said of Contreras and her late husband. “She wouldn’t have been able to do this without this program.’’

The down-payment assistance is only part of what the $13 million in this “ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is Homeâ€� program will buy. The other key option is buying down the interest rate, making monthly payments more affordable.

“Providing that stability for your family, the difference between renting and owning is huge,’’ Hobbs said. “This program is doing exactly what we want it to do.’’

Contreras, who works as a medication technician at Palos Verdes Senior Living, qualified under guidelines that provide up to $30,000 for first-time homebuyers who are at 80% or less of the area median income.

That figure is based on family size. For Phoenix, the figure is $52,400 for a single person; for a family of five, it is $80,800.

A separate provision makes up to $20,000 available for those making up to 120% of area median income: In Phoenix, $78,550 for individuals, $112,200 for a family of four and up to $148,100 for a family of eight.

So far, 362 families have been helped, Hobbs said. She noted that the funds are only enough for 500.

“We know that the need is bigger,’’ she said.

She said these funds came from the state putting $150 million into its Housing Trust Fund. Those dollars are meant not just for first-time home buyers but also to help build new affordable rental developments and to fund homeless shelters, transitional housing and eviction prevention.

Hobbs promised to push for more money when she unveils her new budget proposal in January.

“There are so many ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ns struggling with housing affordability, whether it’s rental or home ownership,’’ she said.

The governor would not say how much she intends to seek from the Legislature.

“We’re still in the process of developing our budget,’’ she said, noting that her “ask’’ is unlikely to be the final word, as she will negotiate a spending plan with the Republican-controlled Legislature. The governor said, though, she hopes to convince lawmakers this isn’t a partisan or even a geographic issue.

“Housing affordability is an issue across the state, whether you’re represented by Democrats or Republicans,’’ she said.

Still, Hobbs acknowledged that, even with additional deposits into the Housing Trust Fund, it deals with only a small portion of the problem of making homes and rentals more affordable.

Legislation she signed could help, she said, including one designed to eliminate some of what the governor called “red tape’’ that slows development.

Lawmakers also approved other measures, such as requiring many cities to allow homeowners to build “casitas’’ on their properties, and mandating that communities allow for more duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and townhomes.

“It’s a multi-pronged approach,’’ Hobbs said.

“We didn’t get to this housing crisis overnight,’’ she said. “We’re not going to get out of it overnight.’’

But the governor said the success of programs like the one used by Contreras “help make the case that we should continue to do that.’’