Finally, a home of her own

Victoria Henry, mother of two, will leave her mother's apartment to join other homeowners in a new low-income development.

By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 2, 2000

INVERNESS -- At 30 years old, Victoria Henry says it's high time she moved out of her mother's apartment and got a place of her own. It's something Henry has always wanted, but until recently, could never afford to do.

The cost of raising two boys, Xavier Washington, 6, and Tyric Washington, 4, and paying off credit card debts on a housekeeper's wage leaves Henry with little money to put toward a house.

Then Henry found a mortgage she could afford: a payment of no more than $299 a month for 33 years on a new three-bedroom, two-bathroom home.

Henry won't pay the full cost of the $65,000 house -- she will contribute "sweat equity" worth about $10,000 by helping build the home, and a state grant covers another $15,000 -- but in the end, she will be a homeowner.

"To me it's a blessing, something I've always wanted and dreamed of having on my own," Henry said. "I just thank God for it."

Henry and her sons will be among the first residents to move into Heron Woods, a neighborhood of 99 low-income, single-family houses that will be built next year in northern Inverness just west of Turner Camp Road.

Half of the houses will be for homeownership, while the other half will be available for rent.

The development is open to families whose annual income is 80 percent of the Citrus County median income. For a family of four, the cutoff is $30,000 a year.

So far, Henry and four other families have qualified, said Maureen Wilson, executive director of Florida Low Income Housing. Another 10 families are going through credit counseling and home buyer education classes to qualify for a home, she said.

Wilson said each payment plan is based on that family's income and credit, so other residents might have a different mortgage than Henry.

But she said all future homeowners are expected to participate in at least 65 percent of the construction of their homes, including the painting, landscaping and cleanup of the site. They also must complete a detailed application process, she said.

"We make sure they have good credit and stable jobs," Wilson said. "It's just like qualifying at a bank."

While Heron Woods, the first development in the county of all single-family, low-income homes, is an answered prayer for future residents, some neighbors have their concerns.

"With rentals you have people who are constantly coming in and out, and you never know who's going to be there," said neighbor Diane Wolfe, 34. "But (the Heron Woods builders) have tried to assure me it's going to be nice."

Marie Campbell, 74, says she fears that her property value will drop and the quiet neighborhood will be less safe once Heron Woods residents move in.

"I hate to see a low-income district come into the community," Campbell said. "It brings in all kinds of people, undesirables and what have you."

Someone else put the message more bluntly: "GET OUT!" was scrawled in pink spray paint over the Heron Woods construction sign at Melody Street and Russell Avenue.

Not all of the neighbors feel that way. Merlin Cooper, 43, has no problem with Heron Woods, as long as the community doesn't attract "the bad element."

"A development with homes for low-income people -- that's a great opportunity for a lot of people," he said. "I don't think it's bad, as long as they handle certain things."

Wilson said her group screens applicants. And she said at $65,000 to $75,000 apiece, the Heron Woods homes are worth as much or more than most of the neighboring houses.

The Heron Woods homeowners will also have to comply with deed restrictions that require them to maintain their properties, Wilson added.

The 49 acres for Heron Woods are already zoned for single-family homes, so there is no need for public hearings on the project, Inverness Development Services director Bill Wiley said.

He said the city has already approved the preliminary site plan and soon will review construction drawings.

Wilson said construction should start in January, and residents should be able to move in by the middle of next year.

Florida Low Income Housing has a seven-year track record of helping Citrus County residents afford their own homes. Wilson said the group has used various grants to put many low-income families into houses throughout the county.

Previously, the group helped low-income families afford a house in a neighborhood where most other residents were not getting such assistance. Heron Woods is the first development in the county where all residents will be low-income families.

Wilson said that means her group will be able to help more families at once and provide communitywide resources, such as classes on credit counseling, child care and job skills, to help the residents better themselves.

"We'll be partnering with other agencies in the county to do anything and everything to help our families empower themselves to do more," she said.

- Anyone interested in more information about Heron Woods can call 726-1113.

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