Their dreams come true

It is a dream come true for four lucky families who will soon be moving to Inwood. They were the ones — chosen by lottery from among 44 applicants — who will be able to buy their first homes. The groundbreaking for those homes, on Harris and Redwood avenues, took place on Monday.

On land owned by Nassau County, and in association with the Long Island Housing Partnership, the Roosevelt Development Corporation, a Valley Stream company, will construct the 1,800-square-foot, three-bedroom, 1 1/2 -bath houses, each on a 6,000-square-foot parcel. The company will also build a two-story, 2,300-square-foot home on Lawrence Avenue in Inwood.

“We will start next week, and completion should be in four months,” said James Vilardi, whose Roosevelt Corp. and Bedford Construction Group has undertaken similar projects in other Nassau County communities.

Each home will sell for $157,563. The funding that makes such a price possible comes from several sources: a grant from the county; the federal HOME program, administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development; and the state’s Affordable Housing Corporation. Of the total of $600,000 being provided, $160,000 is for down payment assistance and $440,000 is for home construction.

The four new homeowners were selected by a lottery the county held in April, in conjunction with the Housing Partnership. Far Rockaway resident Charlinda Charlot was one of those who qualified for the first-time home buyer program. “It meant a lot,” Charlot said of being chosen to have the opportunity to buy a house. “I’m appreciative and grateful just to have my own space and property.”

Charlot, who lives in an apartment with her nearly 14-year-old son, Sherwayne, said this is the “American dream,” and added that she likes her new neighborhood, which includes the Number Four School across the street, a ball field and several other homes further down Harris Avenue.

“I have so many ideas about decorating, I’ll need to win the lottery,” she said, smiling and gazing at her future property. Sherwayne will attend Lawrence High School, his mother added.

To qualify, applicants had to be employed and earn less than $80,000 — 80 percent of the area’s median income, which, according to Diane Weir, executive vice president of the Housing Partnership, is $100,000.

“To qualify for a mortgage you must be credit-worthy and have stable employment,” said Weir, adding that applicants also received mortgage counseling to help them understand the process, from contract to closing and making payments.

All four homeowners — Charlot; Stephanie Hardy of Jamaica, Queens; Vivolyn Gayle of Hempstead; and Tamika Archer of Arverne, Queens — are in contract and proceeding to closing on their new houses, Weir said.

Hardy, who also described her pending home ownership as the “American dream,” said that the new house will be a surprise for her 7-year-old son Jaylen, who will now have a yard to play in. She also has a 20-year-old son, Shareem, who attends SUNY Plattsburgh. “Big plans, absolutely,” Hardy said, “I dream about it every night.”

Landscaping is also part of the package for all the homes: Sod will be laid down in front of the house and bushes will be planted, Vilardi said. Grass will be planted on the sides and the existing sidewalk will be repaired. That will be a change from the long grass now growing on the properties.

“It brings in new people, and anytime you can do that it enhances the value of everything around it,” County Legislator Howard Kopel (R-Lawrence) said of the new homes, adding that their construction will eliminate the potential for blight that vacant lots frequently attract.