County steps in when homes are on last legs

Repairs - or even a whole new home - are offered to some.

By CHANDRA BROADWATER, Times Staff Writer
Published November 18, 2007

Joe Johnson, 64, sits in the two-bedroom Brooksville home that was built for him through the Community Devcelopment Block Grant and State Housing Initiative Partnership.
	[Keri Wiginton | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Keri Wiginton | Times] Joe Johnson and grandson Jeremiah Johnson on the porch of his old house on Twigg Street, which the county replaced.

BROOKSVILLE - Joe Johnson used to take strategic steps in his south Brooksville home.

At more than 60 years old, the teal and white-trimmed wooden bungalow on Twigg Street was just old. More than once, he had a friend come over and reinforce the sagging floors with plywood.

But, with time, those would give way, and he had to direct visitors to safe spots, where they could place their feet.

"I knew exactly where you could and couldn't walk," Johnson said.

"But even then, like I do now, I don't complain. It could have been worse. I could have been without shelter and food. At least I had those."

The house was where Johnson grew up. It's the house he left when he graduated from the old Moton School and joined the Army and eventually relocated to New Jersey. It's the same house Johnson eventually returned to after suffering what doctors think was a stroke in 1993. It left him on disability and barely able to move his right leg.

By the time he inherited the home after his mother, Relusta, died, the problems went beyond fragile floors. The wiring was bad. Sometimes the roof leaked. There was always something wrong.

But two years ago, Johnson found out about a grant he could apply for as a county resident. Through the Hernando Health and Human Services Department, Johnson applied to participate in the Community Development Block Grant and State Housing Initiative Partnership home rehabilitation program that helps homeowners with improvements.

Instead of repairs to his roof, plumbing, the rickety floor and other code-related problems, Johnson got a whole new house. The problems, as some are, were so extensive that a rebuild was necessary.

For the 64-year-old, the program was a godsend.

"I don't know what else I would have done," he said last week as he sat in his immaculate living room. Vacuum marks on the carpet from a recent cleaning fanned out from the couch. The rest of the two-bedroom, one-bath abode was just as neat.

Johnson is one of nearly 250 residents in about 100 homes who now have better, safer places to live. As the county begins to take applications for a fourth redevelopment project, county Health and Human Services director Jean Rags wants to remind residents that it's back. And along with applicants, the department is looking for contractors and community task force members to take part.

Since 1998, the county has received grants for the program every two years. With a $250,000 match from the county Housing Authority, the $750,000 grant goes a long way, Rags said.

"By addressing health and safety issues for low- to moderate-income families, it helps make the community as a whole a better place to live," she said. "Not only do neighborhoods look better, it raises property values and creates overall healthier environments."

To qualify, a resident must be a homeowner and live in the home as his or her primary residence. Along with being in an unincorporated part of the county - outside the cities of Brooksville and Weeki Wachee - applicants must have a total household income below certain guidelines. For example, a household of four can make no more than $43,500 a year.

Once a person applies, the application is reviewed and ranked by a board that then visits the homes. Rags recalls visiting Johnson's house.

"He told me where to step, just in case," she said. "And even though his home needed a lot of repairs, he kept it so clean and neat. It was really remarkable."

After recipients are chosen, the work begins. The county works only with contractors previously certified to work on the project.

Like Johnson, most homeowners who have their houses rehabbed must also agree to a few stipulations. His included living in his home for five years before deciding to sell. If he didn't, he would have had to pay back a portion of the improvements.

But adhering to the requirements has been easy, Johnson said. Especially when he thinks about the wonderful place he lives in now.

"I'm not going anywhere until the Lord calls me home."

Chandra Broadwater can be reached at cbroadwater@sptimes.com or 352 848-1432.

Learn more

For information about the Community Development Block Grant and State Housing Initiative Partnership Housing Rehabilitation program as a homeowner or contractor, call Meredian Community Services Group toll-free at 1-866-484-1975, or contact the Hernando County Department of Health and Human Services at 540-4338.

Applications are also available at the Health and Human Services office at the Hernando County Government Center, 20 N Main St., Brooksville.

The deadline for homeowners is Dec. 10, and Dec. 5 for contractors.

Those interested in serving on the project's citizen task force can contact Health and Human Resources director Jean Rags' office, as well.

[Last modified November 17, 2007, 18:55:26]