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It's home, not Easy Street
By MELIA BOWIE, Times Staff Writer
published December 18, 2001 ST. PETERSBURG -- If she could, Patricia Haygood says, she would love to thank Warrick Dunn's mother for bringing the Tampa Bay football star -- "an angel in uniform" -- to earth.
She would talk about how hard owning a home is . . . and how wonderful. Although she is unable to share these things with Dunn's mother, who was murdered nearly nine years ago, Haygood knows one thing about her: "She truly would be proud of him." Today, another group of struggling women will glow with pride, gratitude and the myriad emotions Haygood felt when she first claimed her house through Dunn's Homes for the Holidays initiative. A series of ceremonies will begin at 9 a.m. in St. Petersburg, where Haygood, 45, had previously been the only winner. Dunn will be on hand in the city as two recipients sign paperwork and claim keys. A third winner will be welcomed home in Tampa. The event marks the fifth anniversary of Homes for the Holidays in Tampa Bay. Including this year's recipients, 16 women and 31 kids in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties have been able to settle into their own dwellings, said Charles Campisi, a Buccaneers community relations coordinator. Dunn also has helped several women become homeowners in Baton Rouge.
"She gave her life to us . . . she sacrificed everything that she ever owned," Dunn said earlier this month in a Today show interview with Bob Costas. "She never had an opportunity. . . . Now, I'm in a position to help other people." Corporate sponsors step in to provide the families with furniture, food and appliances (for free or at discounted rates.) Meanwhile financial institutions, such as Bank of America, Sun Trust and Republic Bank issue first mortgage loans that the city of Tampa guarantees for the first five years. "The city of (St. Petersburg) provides down payment and closing cost assistance in the form of a zero-interest loan that is deferred for five years," said Tom de Yampart, manager of housing programs for St. Petersburg. The women are responsible for their own mortgage payments. "People come up to me a lot and . . . they think I'm mortgage free, that Warrick Dunn bought me a house," Haygood said with a tired smile. "I say, "No, no, no. I have a mortgage every month.' " The past two years have been a struggle financially, she said. There are bills to juggle, kids to clothe and as of late last week no money to buy Christmas presents. "No one likes living paycheck to paycheck (but) I knew that owning a home was a challenge," said Haygood, a home health aide. The mortgage is always paid, and "I think I'll get through the storm," she said, adding "it's a financial storm not just for me but for everybody." Haygood, who once succumbed to drug and alcohol abuse before finding the faith and strength to turn things around, said she -- like many single mothers -- has not come this far to fail. "I'm too blessed to be stressed," she declared. It was December 1999 when Dunn's $5,000 gave the single mother of five the final nudge into home ownership. Already working with St. Petersburg's Neighborhood Housing Services to acquire a house, Haygood was employed at an assisted living facility when "the call" came. "They asked me if I knew Warrick Dunn and about the program," she recalled. "They told me he helps you with the down payment and he furnishes the whole house. They said we think you might be a good candidate, and I dropped the phone!" Haygood had always wanted a home so filled with peace and the Holy Spirit that people could feel it when they arrived. A tall order with young kids, but late afternoon along Newton Street -- when the setting sun paints the sidewalks gold -- comes close. In those moments, all is quiet as visitors approach the four-bedroom house where red and green garland gently curls around the porch railing. Inside, a Christmas tree stands sentinel at the window. There is much to be thankful for, said Haygood, who will attend this year's presentation. Today, three more families will open the doors to a new house and a new future. One will find it on Newton Avenue, right across the street from Haygood.
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