THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, December 20, 1994 TAG: 9412200313
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Marc Tibbs
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
Debbie Webb could be the poster child for welfare reform.
She once got Aid to Families with Dependent Children, but that was before she started school to study nursing. Before she landed a job as a medical office assistant at a hospital.
For seven years, she's been able to take care of her daughter Chrystyna, who is paraplegic, and two teenage children on roughly $16,000 a year.
The 33-year-old, soft-spoken woman is the kind of person a conservative would love.
Two years ago, she decided to buy a house. The three-bedroom apartment where she lives wasn't big enough for Chrystyna, who has cerebral palsy. Debbie dreamt of a wheelchair ramp for Chrystyna, 11, and larger bedrooms for her two teenagers.
She used her $500 income tax refund for a down payment on a house with a basement and an attic in Norfolk's Park Place area. It wasn't a dream house. It was a $26,000 ``fixer-upper,'' to put it mildly. The house needed thousands of dollars in repairs just to pass occupancy codes.
But because the neighborhood is designated for reclamation by the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Debbie's real estate agent told her she was eligible for a grant for the repairs.
Debbie applied for the grant, and housing authority officials said she'd be notified.
``It's a place that needs a lot of work,'' said Michael Clark, a rehabilitation specialist at the housing authority. ``But frankly, her house isn't the worst house that I've seen.''
Housing officials said her home is eligible, but they ran out of money. They hope to get more soon.
No matter; two years later, Debbie is still paying a $300-a-month mortgage on a house that is unlivable. She's also paying nearly that much in rent for an apartment she can't afford.
But that's not Debbie's biggest problem.
Chrystyna's condition had made her eligible for $448 in disability income and the much-needed Medicare that goes with it, but now she may be stricken from the rolls by the first of the year. Debbie says the Social Security Administration told her the value of the vacant house disqualifies her for benefits.
Debbie has struggled before to make ends meet. But the prospect of losing Chrystyna's medical benefits and possibly her home really has her worried.
``I bought the house for my daughter,'' she said, ``and I've placed myself in a lot of debt.''
Debbie's story is tailor-made for today's political landscape - it touches every peak and valley: welfare reform, health care reform, entitlements - she's a walking political campaign ad.
But these ``hot button'' issues don't matter much to Debbie Webb. She's certain of one thing, though. She won't go back on welfare.
``No. No way,'' she said. ``Never. I'll just roll with the punches.'' ILLUSTRATION: PAUL AIKEN
Staff
Because Debbie Webb bought a house, her daughter, Chrystyna, who has
cerebral palsy, may lose vital disability benefits.
by CNB