Housing Lottery Proves To Be Christmas Miracle For Seven New York Families
NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- Christmas wishes came true on Thursday, for seven lucky winners of a unique lottery.
As CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported, their prize was a new home.
With the turn of a wheel and a turn of luck the Fischer family will soon turn the key to a brand new home.
"I came in here with faith and hope," Davania Kamci-Fischer said.
Overcome with joy, the Fischers are among seven lucky winners in the Town of Hempstead's lottery for a soon to be built, single family home, at half the market price. Their mortgage is only $172,000 and federal housing grants will subsidize the rest.
Officials say tax payers benefit too, as delinquent properties return to the tax rolls and manicured homes replace blight.
"It stabilizes and makes the community stronger, so it's a win-win from a global perspective and a personal perspective as well," Hempstead Town Supervisor, Kate Murray said.
singles and families earning less than $84,000 qualified.
Single mother and registered nurse, Latasha Royal was elated.
"We are in a two bedroom apartment right now, so this is a dream come true," she said.
For one Queens family a house in the suburbs was out of reach.
"This is the best Christmas present we ever had," Ricardo Fukuda said.
The Fischers, with two jobs and five kids, said they are looking forward to moving out of their parents' house to start a better life.
"Let the kids run free and have space," Guillermo Fischer said, "Happy for my children, for their future, for our future."
The family can look forward to a three bedroom home with a backyard in Freeport or Roosevelt.
For a corrections officer who won the lottery 2-years-ago, home ownership was life changing.
"It's yours. It's your pride and joy. It's almost like your baby," Lisa Cooper said.
Crews will break ground in the spring and the lottery winners will be home for the holidays in 2015.
In the 240 affordable homes in the Town of Hempstead, not a single lottery winner has even defaulted on a mortgage. The town plans to build seven more affordable homes next year.
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