Building Economic Futures for Americans with Disabilities
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Winning the Lottery - Laura Matthiessen
Laura always knew she wanted to own her own home. A one-time nurse turned high school English teacher, Laura’s world was turned up side down when she was attacked by some of her students that resulted in a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Putting her life back together and having people understand the different ways that her brain processes information has been a challenge. A social worker tried helping Laura find an apartment. However, what Laura really wanted was to be a homeowner- not a renter and she was not going to settle for anything less.
Along came the Portland Community Land Trust (PCLT) and Rosemont Commons. Rosemont Commons is an award-winning former convent-turned ambitious housing development. The development includes 100 apartments for the elderly in the renovated 1916 convent; 18 town homes for rent to lower-income families; 10 Habitat for Humanity/Portland Community Land Trust homes for lower-income buyers; 7 HOST (Homeownership One Street at a Time) homes; 30 market rate homes; and an 11,500 square foot, three story Head Start facility. Portland Community Land Trust provides affordably priced homes for first-time homebuyers of modest means. They make home ownership affordable by taking land costs out of the equation. Homebuyers purchase the house but lease the land from the land trust. With land costs removed, homeowners enjoy the benefits of homeownership at an affordable price. A long-term land lease gives the homeowner secure and exclusive rights to use of the land beneath the home.
Laura had never heard of land trust housing, but when she learned about the idea of homes for low-income people that remained permanently affordable, she knew that somehow she would own one of those 10 houses. Laura’s quest did not start out promising. After completing all the paperwork, meeting the eligibility requirements, and the classes- there were no land trust homes available. Living on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), qualifying for a traditional home was out of her reach.
Fate (and a very persistent Laura) stepped in and one of the land trust homes became available at Rosemont Commons. The only catch was that Laura had to pull all the pieces- including her downpayment- together in one week. It had taken several years for Laura’s disability claim to be approved and for her disability benefits to begin. When she was approved in spring of 2001, she received a sizable back-payment from Social Security for the years she waited. Laura knew that she wanted her back-payment to be the downpayment on a home of her own- now she had found a home she could afford and had wisely saved the money to make all the pieces come together. She had also made sure that her credit was in good shape so that she could qualify for the mortgage. Five years ago, in August 2001, Laura Matthiessen defied all the odds and became a homeowner with a disability.
However, Laura was not satisfied with the fact that so few of Rosemont Commons (as well as other low-income housing developments) were not land trust homes. When buying her home, she had faced a lot of opposition to the land trust idea. People told her it was a bad investment and that she was being naïve. Idealistic or not, Laura was a disabled homeowner in Portland, OR and she was determined to help others do the same. Laura joined the board of the PCLT and currently serves as president. As president of the board, Laura sees her role as constantly reminding developers, council members, Land Trust employees, and other board members that staying small may be prudent, but the sacrifice is not being able to help as many people like her know the security and stability of homeownership.
Laura feels like she won the lottery with her home, which she shares with her son and 7-year-old grandson. She believes that her home and work with PCLT has given her life purpose. The greatest benefit is that she knows she is contributing to her family and community and not self-absorbed by how difficult life can be with a disability. She knows that if not for opportunities afforded to her by the PCLT, her dreams may have remained just that- dreams. Yet, due to Laura’s planning and persistence, coupled with the efforts of the Portland Community Land Trust, not only is Laura a homeowner, she helping others achieve their dreams as well.