THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 26, 1997 TAG: 9701240164
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: COVER STORY
SOURCE: BY IDA KAY JORDAN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 96 lines
IT WAS SEVEN YEARS coming, but Joe Ann Ramseur says her new Habitat for Humanity house was worth the wait.
Ramseur and her 15-year-old daughter, Antoinette, moved into the new house on the corner of Phillips Avenue and Turnpike Road last weekend. Antoinette is an honor student at I.C. Norcom High School, and a second daughter, 22-year-old Latrice, is a student at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
``It's beautiful,'' Ramseur said. ``I have so much peace here. I feel so comfortable and so safe in the house.''
The family lived in a rental unit at Fairwood Homes for 14 years.
``I was comfortable when I first moved there,'' she said. ``Now it's changed. You can look and see drug deals on the corner.''
The police, she said, are doing a good job on Turnpike Road around Mount Hermon, where the new house is located.
``I've seen more police around here than I've seen in a long time,'' she said. ``I have to give them a hand-clap. They're on the job.''
Habitat for Humanity was the only hope Ramseur ever had for owning a home, she said.
Habitat is a citizen program. Volunteers do the work, and recipients are required to contribute to the building of their own homes or those for other people.
Ramseur's house was a partnership with the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association and the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
After a $500 down payment and a commitment to 400 hours of work, Ramseur will pay $320 a month for 15 years to own the home. The payments cover the materials and other costs of building the house. The mortgage will be held by Habitat for Humanity at no interest.
At Fairwood Homes, Ramseur paid rent of $242 a month.
``It's not that much more, and I'll own the house,'' she said. In addition, she expects to pick up some savings on her heating costs in the new house.
Ramseur, 42, is a Portsmouth native. A graduate of Cradock High School, she has worked at NationsBank in Norfolk for 22 years - starting when the bank was called Virginia National, before it was called Sovran, before it was called NationsBank. She works in technical services, filming credit card documents. In years gone by, she has worked in the proof department and the accounting department.
Her parents, Wiley and Mary Powell, live in Victory Manor.
``As soon as they can sell their house, I want to move them to Mount Hermon Village or some other senior citizens' housing near here,'' she said. ``I need to have them closer to me.''
The family attends First Baptist Church Taylorsville, which is on Turnpike Road, about a block away from Ramseur's new home.
``I go out to Victory Manor to pick them up to come to church,'' she said. ``It would be nice to have them nearby.''
Ramseur's new house has three bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, and a large, open space that includes the kitchen, dining room and living room.
``At first I didn't know about this kitchen,'' she said. ``But I think I like it open like this.''
The open space worked great with the large, comfortable living room suite she bought some time ago.
``I never took the plastic off the furniture until we moved over here,'' she said. ``I wanted it to be like new when we moved to a new house.''
At first, the house was scheduled to be ready by Dec. 20, but work was delayed by the weather.
``So I extended my lease a month at Fairwood Homes, and it really worked out,'' Ramseur said. ``I had time to sort out my things before we moved.''
The move was accomplished over four or five days last week by friends and the family.
``I had to use my moving money to repair my car recently,'' she said. ``So it was good there were people who don't mind helping out.''
The house still needs some finishing touches, such as a concrete driveway and sidewalk, a back porch railing and a mail box.
``It was too cold for them to pour concrete,'' she said.
As for the mail box, Ramseur's not sure she's ready for it.
``When I get the mail box, I'll see how many bills I have!'' she said jokingly.
Ramseur was settling quickly into the house, taking advantage of several days off.
She still has 200 hours of time to contribute to Habitat for Humanity and, since she works all week, she will have to devote some of her weekends to helping with other people's houses.
``But it's a wonderful program,'' she said. ``I love my house. It really is a blessing.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo including color cover by MARK MITCHELL
After living in Fairwood Homes for 14 years, Joe Ann Ramseur has
moved into a three-bedroom house.
Joe Ann Ramseur's new kitchen is in a large, open space that
includes the living and dining rooms.
``At first I didn't know about this kitchen,'' she said. ``But I
think I like it open like this.''
Ramseur's new home, below, at Phillips Avenue and Turnpike Road, has
3 bedrooms and 1 1/2 baths.