Islip housing lottery offers a start
Michelle Brewster, 41, and her husband, William, will be able to buy one of nine homes made available in an affordable housing lottery by Islip's Community Development Agency. (April 4, 2012) Credit: J. Conrad Williams, Jr.
As a white piece of paper with her name on it tumbled around in a golden lottery cage, Michelle Brewster fidgeted nervously and gripped her seat.
When Islip Town Supervisor Tom Croci drew her name, the Central Islip woman squealed and leaped up to shake his hand. Beaming and nearly in tears, she squeezed her uncle, who had accompanied her to the town's affordable home drawing for moral support.
"This is like my dream," a choked-up Brewster said. "I've always wanted to be a homeowner. This is better than a Mega Millions ticket."
The drawing Wednesday afternoon means Brewster, 41, and her husband, William, will be able to buy one of nine homes made available in an affordable housing lottery by Islip's Community Development Agency. The houses are formerly dilapidated or foreclosed homes that were renovated using grants from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and resold through the Affordable Housing Program.
Looking at pictures of the available homes, Brewster talked excitedly about the one she hopes to move into with her husband and their two teenage sons -- a tidy two-story with a big front lawn in Brentwood.
"Being a homeowner is the American dream," she said. "I'm going to feel like a queen."
Community Development Agency executive director Paul Fink said the agency received 63 applications for the drawing. Of those, 17 met eligibility requirements. And Wednesday, nine names were drawn to start the process of buying a home, priced between $175,000 and $250,000.
"This is one of the most American things we can do, to take a home that has no life and give it a new life," Croci said, comparing the lottery to community barn-raisings in the 1800s.
Those who didn't make the top nine Wednesday still have an "excellent" chance, he said. "It's likely that several names on the waiting list will be called and offered houses," Fink said, noting that economic circumstances for some winners could change.
One of the hopefuls is Maria Alvarado, 36, of Deer Park, who applied with her husband Julio. After the drawing, her family was first on the waiting list, and she said she felt confident their chance would come.
"This would be a dream come true," Alvarado said. "Just knowing you have a place to yourself that feels stable -- knowing that that's your home -- I want that for my kids."
