Homeowner Profile: Gwendolyn Mathis

Gwendolyn Mathis was born and raised in Washington D.C. and wanted to become a homeowner in the city she called home. Her first step for making this dream a reality was becoming a member of Manna’s Homebuyers Club in 1990. During her time in Manna’s Homebuyers Club, her journey became filled with many obstacles, difficulties and delays that would have caused most to give up and quit. Her generosity and care for others was one of the big reasons her dream of homeownership got delayed for so many years. Others simply came first for Gwen. In addition, she lost her job at one point, thus losing the financial means to purchase. She worked hard to find another job, eventually succeeded, and got back on track with her homeownership goal. Soon after, she qualified for and signed a sales contract for a new condominium at Madeline Gardens in Northeast D.C. Before she could go to settlement, there was a delay in construction that was beyond Manna’s control. Then in April of 2007, she suffered a serious stroke that left her disabled and unable to work. Gwen never gave up on her of homeownership, and Manna never gave up on helping her accomplishing that dream. During the next year, she made an amazing recovery from her stroke, and the delays in construction had been resolved. After overcoming many hurdles in her life, Gwen became a homeowner at the Madeline Gardens Condominium in September 2008.

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Homeowner Profile: Mian Shafi

As a tenant on Mt. Pleasant Street, NW, Mian Shafi enjoyed all of the amenities the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood had to offer; he worked, lived, and played in this community. In 2002, he traveled to his homeland of Pakistan to care for his mother who had a stroke and his brother who suffered a heart attack. He had made plans to stay in Pakistan for two months to care for his family, however, less than two weeks into his trip, he received devastating news. The apartment building where he lived in Mt. Pleasant had been destroyed in a fire.  Mian left his ailing family and returned to the U.S. to retrieve whatever belongings he could find in the charred building. With no place to call home, Mian bounced around from one friend’s house to another for more than a year. After the fire, the Mt. Pleasant building, where Mian previously lived, was donated to Manna by the owners. Manna successfully completed rehabilitation of the building, and christened it: the Atonatl Condominium. Manna worked with the former tenants of the Atonatl Condominium to help them become homeowners, including Mian, who joined the Homebuyers Club in 2003. After three years in the program, Mian was ready to become a homeowner in the Atonatl Condominium. Through all the hardships he has faced, Mian has always carried a positive attitude. “There were so many people at Manna who helped me become a homeowner, I had no reason to be upset.”- Mian Shafi, homeowner at the Atonatl Condominium. 

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Syphax Village and the Southwest Renaissance

Syphax Village and the Southwest Renaissance

The William Syphax School before renovation

Just twelve years ago, the historic William Syphax School located at 1360 Half Street, SW, was a picture of blight. The boarded-up school was regularly used as a location of drug use and the surrounding property a pathway for drug dealers.  Weeds and rust had overtaken the school playground and litter was abundant.  In short, the old school building which had been abandoned more than a decade earlier, was a major eyesore for everyone in the neighborhood.

Years of neglect and deterioration could not erase the building’s prestigious history, however.  Named after William Syphax, a tireless advocate of equal standards of education and the first African-American to serve on the Board of Trustees of Colored Schools of Washington and Georgetown, the 1901 school building was officially declared a historic landmark in 2003.

Wm. Syphax School after

When Manna acquired the site from DC Public Schools in 1999 the community plan from the start was to preserve the beautiful historic building.  And that is exactly what Manna accomplished. 

In January of 2005, Manna, its new homeowners, and many friends and supporters celebrated the final completion of “Syphax Village,” a 41-unit mixed-income condominium development made up of twelve loft-style units in the old school building and twenty-nine new affordable single family town homes on the surrounding land.

One of the best things about the redevelopment of Syphax Village was the overwhelming community support for the project.  Manna was asked by the local community organizations to redevelop the site met numerous times with the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly and other local residents to develop a plan for the revitalization of the school.  Manna’s largest construction project to date, Syphax Village represents everything good about community development.  It was accomplished with a mix of private and public partners and incredible community support, its large scale has already made a major impact on the neighborhood, and it combines very-low and market rate units into a single condominium development.

This was not the last time that this community was to see a major change in its neighborhood. In 2004, Major League Baseball announced that the Montreal Expos would relocate to Washington DC and become the Washington Nationals.  Many sites were considered, but the booming Southwest Waterfront area was chosen as the site for the new stadium.  By 2008, the stadium had been finished, and ready for its public debut.

The Townhomes at Syphax Village

Located just steps from Syphax Village, the new Washington Nationals stadium have brought more to this community than just baseball.  The neighborhood is now a prime destination for new commercial developments.  With more housing and restaurants being built in the area, the Southwest Waterfront community will experience a renaissance unlike it has ever done before.

Locals can hear the fireworks of the ongoing Nationals games in the spring and summer, and sit conveniently to summer time events that happen in the area. The best part of the stadium moving into the neighborhood is something that the residents cannot see. The property values of the homes of the Syphax village residents have increased.  For most, that is the best advantage of the Nationals stadium being built.

“Every time they score a homerun in Nationals Stadium they set off fireworks; before you might have thought it was gun shots, but since the stadium was built everyone knows it is noise of celebration.” – Eve Werbicki.

Manna helps people become homeowners everyday- now it's your turn to help Manna! Click here to help us reach our goal of $2,000 by donating on Give to the Max Day, November 9th

Manna Mortgage Puts the Borrower First

Frank Demarais, Vice President of Manna Mortgage, believes every community needs reliable mortgage finance services, and there is a growing need for the services provided by Manna Mortgage in lower-income communities.  Manna Mortgage, a subsidiary of Manna, Inc., is the first and only non-profit mortgage loan company in Washington, DC. Their goal is to help low to moderate- income individuals obtain stable purchase and refinance mortgages with low rates, low fees, and good terms. The dedicated staff provides great service to the client by providing the best options for the borrower ahead of the best options for Manna.  Manna Mortgage has helped many individuals facing financial obstacles become homeowners or refinance their mortgage at a decent rate.  Clients, who work with Manna Mortgage, praise their services because for many this would be their only opportunity to become a homeowner. "Manna Mortgage was just a phone call away for anything that I needed." - Geraldine Quigley, Homeowner. 

For more information about Manna Mortgage and its services, visit www.mannamortgage.org.

Manna helps people become homeowners everyday- now it's your turn to help Manna! Click here to help us reach our goal of $2,000 by donating on Give to the Max Day, November 9th!

Homeowner Profile: Audrey Proctor

Finding the courage and strength to better your life can be a difficult struggle, but with the help of organizations like Manna people like Audrey Proctor do find a way. More than 15 years ago, Audrey had attended a Jubilee Housing Christmas party where she met the founder of Manna, Rev. Jim Dickerson. After hearing wonderful things about Manna developed properties from her friends and family, she told Rev. Jim, “One day I will buy one of your homes.” Audrey, a single mother with two sons James and Jamal, struggled to make ends meet, and provide decent housing for her family. As a graduate of Jubilee Housing, Audrey was ready for the next step in life, finding the courage to take it would be the problem. When Audrey’s younger sister, Tanya, passed away, it affected Audrey so profoundly that she decided that make a dramatic change to her life. With some encouragement from a friend, Audrey decided this was the time to become a homeowner. Audrey went to Housing Counseling Services, an organization Manna partners with that educated her on the process of homeownership, and helped her prepare all her information for the HPAP approval. Although it was a long process, Audrey never gave up on her dream of owning a Manna property. Today, Audrey is a homeowner at the Madeline Gardens Condominium, a 30 unit affordable condominium project Manna completed in Northeast DC.

Support MANNA on Give to the Max Day, November 9th!!