When Martia was young and moving often, her visits to her grandparents’ home in Johnston Square were a source of stability. They had purchased the home on the 600 block of East Chase Street in the 1970s, and her grandfather had established himself as a local entrepreneur. Martia remembers the Johnston Square of her youth having a strong sense of community—a family-oriented environment where neighbors looked after each other. Her youth was filled with messages of the importance of homeownership, of self-determination, of building something from nothing.
By the time Martia was 21, her grandparents were aging out of their home, and they gave her the opportunity to own it. For Martia, taking ownership of the home was both a way to sustain her family’s legacy and to create a foundation for her own pathway as a homeowner and entrepreneur. But homeownership was also challenging: as the home aged, it needed substantial repairs, and it became overwhelming to keep up with them. Martia began looking for support.
When Martia met Regina Hammond and joined Rebuild Johnston Square Neighborhood Organization, she learned about a series of neighborhood resources she never knew existed—including the Johnston Square Legacy Homeowner Repair Program. Working with Regina and ReBUILD’s team, Martia was able to join the program and receive support for major repairs.
The Legacy Homeowner Repair Program will enable Martia to own and live in a stable and high-quality home for the first time. Martia’s new beginning on homeownership has given her a fresh outlook on her future and a new opportunity to fulfill her potential. Her regrowth will take place as part of the regrowth of the entire Johnston Square community—a community that is becoming more and more like the strong, unified Johnston Square she remembers from her childhood.