THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 8, 1994 TAG: 9407060094
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 01B EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAM STARR, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 103 lines
MALINDA CORBETT'S lifelong wish has been to own a white house with a green roof.
Last Saturday the 74-year-old's wish came true when she moved into a new ranch house in the Lake Smith neighborhood. The siding is a gleaming white, the shutters a forest green and the roof is a lighter shade of green, her favorite color. Corbett, a retired New York boarding school housemother, said that her new home is a ``miracle.''
``I could afford five or six houses by now with all the rent I've paid for apartments,'' she said. ``I decided if I was able to pay monthly rent I could pay a mortgage.''
Corbett had inherited three adjoining lots on Ellis Avenue when her father died years ago but could never afford to build on it. The property remained undeveloped until Corbett found out about a little-known partnership between the Virginia Beach Community Development Corporation and the Department of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation.
VBCDC is a non-profit housing agency that acts as the city's housing authority by providing homeownership opportunities and rental housing for low-income residents. The housing department works to renovate housing throughout the city and improve the quality of life in neighborhoods.
Mary Kay Horoszewski, VBCDC executive director, explained that the partnership uses Community Development Block Grant Funds to build or rehab houses in the city's target neighborhoods, low-income areas where the city has installed streets, water and sewerage. Since 1987, VBCDC has built or renovated 42 houses in these neighborhoods.
Andrew M. Friedman, the city's housing director, said that anyone who meets the income guidelines can be helped with this program. Section 8 Low Income aid is defined as 80 percent of the median income as determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The city cleared Corbett's lot and the VBCDC lent the builder, Neal Petry & Sons, money at no interest for construction. Although the transaction has taken more than a year to work out, the actual construction of the house took only 57 days.
The $53,000 structure features three bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths and central air conditioning. Corbett had a say in the design of the 1,040-square-foot house. She knew she wanted three bedrooms but it was most important for her to have a ``really big kitchen and a really nice front porch.'' And Corbett was thrilled to pick out the kind of linoleum she wanted for the kitchen and baths and the wall-to-wall carpeting. She chose a muted green, of course, for the living room and hallway and a light mauve for the bedrooms.
``Everything is new,'' she said, gesturing to the refrigerator and dishwasher in the kitchen. A washer and dryer are hidden behind closet doors in the hallway. ``I don't have to go out to do my laundry now. This is just wonderful.''
Accubanc provided the permanent financing for Corbett's mortgage at below-market rates. She pays about $500 a month out of her Social Security income and said that ``it's well worth it.''
``The first night here I slept so good I didn't even know I was in a new house,'' said Corbett, who used to live in Driftwood Apartments. ``It's so nice waking up to a clean, beautiful house. I know everybody out here - it's a nice, quiet and safe place.
``I tell you, I'm so happy I don't know what I would have done without this.''
Corbett is one of the lucky ones. Finding affordable housing for the low-income elderly has been an ongoing problem in Virginia Beach. Elizabeth McClane, housing committee chairperson on the Mayor's Committee on Aging, said that the need has surpassed availability for HUD-financed apartment buildings like Russell House, Luther Manor and Beth Sholom.
``They have waiting lists of around 300 people,'' said McClane. ``There's a tremendous need specifically for subsidized housing.''
The Mayor's Committee on Aging created a task force of city employees, city council members, Planning District 20 housing experts, builders and Realtors to review the housing options for seniors and possible solutions, said McClane, but so far nothing has been done. Additionally, the housing committee is considering the creation of a home for up to 25 low-income elderly, which would be built by the public and private sectors.
``That proposal hasn't moved for lack of funds, but the outlook is good,'' said McClane. ``The city is going to do an inventory of all the city land that may be suitable for the project. Frankly, they're honestly doing everything they can.''
Members of the Mayor's Committee, however, did strongly lobby for the creation of the VBCDC's year-old Housing for the Elderly program. The VBCDC buys foreclosed condominium units from HUD and rents them to low- and very low-income seniors age 62 and older. The residents pay 30 percent of their income under Section 8 guidelines and the VBCDC pays the condo fees. The Southeastern Virginia Area-Wide Program (SEVAMP) and the Department of Social Services helps the VBCDC with assessing the needs and providing services. MEMO: If you would like more information on the housing or rental programs
available through the Virginia Beach Community Development Corporation,
call 463-9516. SEVAMP also has information on senior housing options in
South Hampton Roads. Call 461-9481 for more information.
ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by CHARLIE MEADS
Malinda Corbett's dream house in located in the Lake Smith area of
Virginia Beach.
Malinda Corbett, right, entertains Mary Kay Horoszewski, executive
director of the Virginia Beach Community Development Corporation,
in her new home.
by CNB