Journeys- May 2009 Brenda Waters

Brenda Waters
LOOKING FORWARD TO RETIREMENT IN HER HABIJAX HOME

As soon as you pull into the front drive, it is obvious that you are looking at the home of a proud homeowner. The lawn is green and neatly trimmed. The front porch is inviting with four chairs and many potted plants.

Walk inside Brenda Waters’ HabiJax house and you’ll find an immaculate home with cheerful decorating and more than 50 family photos on the living room tables and shelves. You’ll also find yourself getting a big hug from a petite, animated woman.

“I just celebrated the 6th anniversary of owning my home on April 18th!” she exclaims. “It’s been a blessing, let me tell you.”

Brenda was 52 when she finally realized the dream of owning her own home. “I divorced when I was 35 and moved into my grandmother’s house. I lived there the next 18 years,” she says. “It was a fine old house, but the neighborhood was getting rough.”

Brenda has worked for the Duval County School District for the past 30 years. She works at Kirby Smith Elementary School as a secretary in the 6th Grade House.

In 2002, Brenda and her grown son applied for a HabiJax home. “We are both hard workers. We passed the financial application with no problem and went straight ahead to put in our volunteer time. We wanted a home as soon as we could get one.”

Brenda can now envision a comfortable retirement in her wonderful home. While she will have mortgage payments for another 24 years, the low payment of $297 a month will be manageable. She is eligible for a retirement savings program through her job and plans to take full advantage of it. “In five years, I’ll have $60,000 for retirement,” she explains.

In the meantime, as President of the Royal Terrace Homeowners Association, she is taking measures to ensure that her neighborhood is safe and flourishing. She organizes neighborhood meetings on the last Monday of every month, rallying neighbors to meet with officials like City Councilwoman Denise Lee, local JSO patrolmen and JEA representatives. “We meet to discuss how to fight drugs and crime and learn what programs are available for the children,” Brenda told us. “HabiJax makes flyers for me that I put in everyone’s mailbox. Attendance varies, but I keep after everyone because they know they should come!”

With community sustainability as a cornerstone, HabiJax encourages homeowners like Brenda to get involved in the community as leaders as part of their workshop series.

It’s easy to imagine Brenda in another five years, energetically embracing retirement in her cozy home, sitting on her front porch in the evenings and keeping a watchful eye on the neighborhood. It will be a well-deserved finale for a strong woman who raised her two sons and is now enjoying her grandson.

“It’s a blessing, let me tell you.”

For information on homeownership, click here.