Martha Brown, a 63-year-old native of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, was living in a drafty and deteriorating 35-year-old trailer. She knew she needed a better place to live because her trailer wasn’t equipped with any accessibility modifications. Her debilitating rheumatoid arthritis made even getting in and out of her bathtub a daily struggle.
She took the homebuyer counseling class at Salisbury Neighborhood Housing Service, Inc., where she learned about the Homeownership for Individuals with Disabilities Program, offered through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). She was astounded by how much she didn’t know about buying a home.
“I went into that program dumb. I didn’t know anything at all about the process of buying a home.”
“There are so many programs out here that people don’t know about,” Ms. Brown said. “That homebuyer’s course was a really worthwhile course. There are so many people who are afraid to go to a Realtor because they’re afraid they can’t afford anything. I tell people you’d be surprised at what you don’t know.”
“You’ve got to be dedicated and you’ve got to believe it can happen. People can’t find themselves taking ‘no’ for an answer.”
After counseling and a lot of time searching, Martha chose an abandoned foreclosed home. The home will now move back into service and have an extended life after rehabilitation. Maryland DHCD also financed the rehabilitation loan through the Maryland Housing Rehabilitation Program.
“You can’t look for things to be perfect, but every day I say, ‘Lord, you knew what I needed and you sent me a mansion.'”
To learn more about Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, please visit their website.
For more information on Housing Bonds, see our advocacy page.
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