Columbia, a quaint college town in the middle of Missouri, has always been Jennie’s home. During her 71 years, she and her husband raised their children there, worked there, built a home there, and retired there.
After her husband died in 1995, Jennie refinanced the small brick house they had built by hand together. She was working as a nurse, but her income wasn’t enough to pay the higher mortgage. “It just didn’t work out. I got a mortgage payment that was too much for me, and I went into foreclosure,” she explained. “I was really in a bind; I lost my home. I didn’t want to leave, but I didn’t have a choice. I’m sure sad I had to leave it,” she said quietly.
But with the help of the Missouri Housing Development Commission, Jennie is enjoying her golden years as a resident of Bethel Ridge Estates, a senior development made possible with financing from the Low Income Housing Tax Credit. “I just feel so lucky to be here,” she said, beaming.
With help from her three children, Jennie moved to Bethel Ridge Estates in May 2010. “I got a chance to pick the room I wanted, with the beautiful view of the courtyard,” she said. “I just like to sit there and look out the window at the landscaping and the waterfall. I just get my coffee or a Pepsi-Cola, and I love to sit there.”
After giving a tour of her beautifully decorated apartment, Jennie reiterates her feeling that she is blessed to be a resident of this development. “I was almost homeless,” she said. “I’m just so lucky to be here. And I feel like I’m living in luxury, I really do. I always keep my table dressed, in case folks stop by and want to eat. And when my friends and relatives do visit, they still can’t believe how wonderful this place is!”
She knows she is fortunate, that times are tough and others are facing similar difficulties. “I just wish everyone had the opportunity to live somewhere like this. In fact,” she says, glancing out her window into the snow-covered courtyard, “sometimes I walk around and think, ‘Am I really here?’”
To learn more about Missouri Housing Development Commission, please visit their website.
For more information on Housing Credits, see our advocacy page.
Printer-friendly version
