THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 10, 1996 TAG: 9602100251
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
Maria Santos stood in the sprawling yard of a Salem Road house Friday, looking over the soggy farm fields, and a big smile came over her face.
``I'm moving my chickens'' here, she announced. ``We'll sell eggs. I'll bake bread all day, then sell.''
Santos signed mortgage papers Friday on the 2-acre property, which includes a one-story, white clapboard house she will use to shelter the homeless. She was beaming because it was the realization of a dream that's had its ups and downs.
For more than two years, the Portuguese immigrant, a Navy wife and mother of four, had envisioned doing more than feeding the homeless on the streets. She longed for shelters where she could help get them back on their feet and instill in them the same faith in God that keeps her going.
Last fall, Santos found the homes she wanted to buy, and a public outpouring of support brought in more than $20,000 from 200 donors by early January. But her hopes were dashed when she learned that the two Indiana Avenue houses had been snatched up by another buyer before she could raise enough money to satisfy the mortgage company.
Within days, though, Santos regained her optimism, heeding God's message to her that she should be patient, that his will would be fulfilled in due time.
Now, Santos is glad that she didn't let disappointment get her down, for she is certain that the house she believes God directed her to will serve her purposes better.
It was only a week after the first deal fell through that Santos set her sights on the house at 2804 Salem Road. She was driving her son to work one morning when she saw the ``For Sale'' sign.
Of the $21,000 she has received on behalf of her nonprofit group, Love and Caring for the Homeless, $18,000 was used for a down payment on the Salem Road property. Santos isn't unduly worried about where the remaining $102,000 will come from. She has faith that, as always, God will provide. She hopes for pledges to fill the gap. The closing on the property is set for March 15.
``There's room to expand - a garden, a shop,'' said Tom Swope, the Realtor who helped Santos seal the deal. He has become personally involved as well and is now a member of the nonprofit organization's board of directors.
The home will provide housing for four men, but Santos, who lives in Salem Lakes and works as a part-time phone counselor for the Christian Broadcasting Network, hopes to purchase another residence for women. This second house is in the resort area, has 12 bedrooms and has for 15 years been the site of Christian ministries.
The house, at 1608 Arctic Ave., most recently was used as a home for unwed mothers. Susan and Tim Stewart used the home to offer an alternative to individuals whose parents wanted them to have abortions. During its tenure, Heritage Home Ministries provided shelter and solace to 17 girls and women. But the Stewarts ultimately were unable to rally enough support for their project and had to abandon it last year.
During the year and a half the shelter was open, the Stewarts poured their savings into it and even opened a candy store nearby to provide work for the pregnant residents, some of whom were as young as 14.
``There were so many calls, so many girls with nowhere to go,'' said Susan Stewart, who was herself once an unwed mother.
When Susan Stewart read of Santos' disappointment in January, she phoned her, convinced that ``the Lord had called'' upon her to offer the house to Santos at a reduced price of $120,000, low down payment and owner financing. Santos would have to come up with $10,000 for the down payment.
The 90-year-old house with weathered shingle siding and a wrap-around porch was the first boarding house at the beach and was known, during the 1980s, as Partners Lodge when a couple used it as a place to feed the homeless and house Bible students.
``God has blessed the house,'' said Susan Stewart. MEMO: Donations may be sent to Love and Caring for the Homeless Inc., 4109
Stillwood Court, Virginia Beach, Va. 23456. Santos may be reached at
495-5200.
ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by STEVE EARLEY/The Virginian-Pilot
Maria Santos signed mortgage papers Friday on this 2-acre property,
which includes a one-story, white clapboard house that she intends
to use to help shelter the homeless. The home on Salem Road in
Virginia Beach will provide housing for four men.
KEYWORDS: INDIGENT HOMELESS HOUSING by CNB