Community Development CU Provides 'Way Home' for NC Couple (5/19/2006)

(Editor's note: special thanks to Kim Knox and Rhonda Waters of Generations Community CU for their assistance in the production of this story.)

Locasso and Jasina Battle in front of their home in Washington, NC.

Seldom is a basketball game considered a life-changing event, especially for the spectators. But for Locasso and Jasina Battle of Washington, NC, a chance encounter with a Generations Community Credit Union (then Metropolitan CCU) Branch Manager Rhonda Waters at a junior varsity hoops contest three years ago opened the door to their dream of owning a home.

Like most Americans, the Battles dreamed of owning a single family home of their own. However, after visiting with many local banks, they were repeatedly told that they could only qualify for a loan to purchase a double wide mobile home. For the family of seven, double wide mobile home was simply not large enough to accommodate them, although it would be an obvious improvement over the single wide the family was living in at the time.

According to Waters, the perception in the underserved areas of Washington is that people of modest means can only qualify for a mortgage for a mobile home. "It’s a blessing to be in a position to help people in our community overcome a history of financial hardship,” says Waters.  “A lot of the hardship is due to a lack of confidence, which is spread throughout the community.  Then, there are misperceptions about class and there is the lack of education."

For the Battle family, that lack of information may well have consigned them to a reality that fell short of their dreams of home ownership. But as fate would have it, the Battles crossed paths with Rhonda Waters at a junior varsity basketball game in Washington. Waters, whose daughter played on the team, learned of the Battle's situation from someone at the game who knew she worked at the credit union. That conversation lead to an introduction. "They were looking to upgrade from a single wide to a double wide mobile home," Waters recalled.

Generations CCU Branch Manager Rhonda Waters says, "This is why I enjoy my job."

When Waters consulted with the Battles at the credit union, she discovered that they could instead qualify for a mortgage to purchase a home. "When we learned we could actually own a house," Jasina recalls, "it was overwhelming for us. Most people in our community have the mentality that they can’t progress, because they have never been shown how to overcome financial hardship in order to achieve better things in life."

Waters says one of the key issues people like the Battles face is not the lack of creditworthiness - it is the lack of reasonable and affordable financial services. Listening to their story, she says it reminded her of her own experiences with purchasing a home. "When the Battles came to me, I empathized with their circumstances. I remembered my life before coming to the credit union and the mistakes that my husband and I made when we purchased our very first home, which was because of our own lack of education and understanding.  So I placed myself in their position in order to guide them through the process and keep them encouraged every step of the way."

Those steps included credit counseling and instruction on home ownership. "Rhonda sat us down, explained the qualification process and counseled us on what we needed to do in preparation of purchasing a house," Jasina said. Three months later, it all paid off as the couple closed on a three bedroom, two bath brick ranch.

The Battles purchased this three bedroom, two bath home for their family three years ago.

At long last, the Battles were home, thanks to hard work and a chance encounter at a basketball game.  “Meeting Rhonda made the difference in our lives,” said Jasina Battle. "We’ve been members of the credit union for three years now and because of it we have a home that we are very proud of.  Now, we share our story with others in the community in hopes that they will join the credit union and learn that they can have a better life for their family as well.”

For her part, Waters says simply, "This is why I enjoy my job."

Community Development Credit Unions such as Generations are geared to unlock doors of opportunity for people such as the Battles. In North Carolina, CDCUs receive support to accomplish this mission from the North Carolina Minority Support Center (NCMSC).

The Support Center helps CDCUs do exactly what Rhonda did ... help people help themselves.  “Our organization is about honoring the legacy that CDCUs have in our state,” says Linwood Cox, NCMSC President.  “We honor that legacy by ensuring that the credit unions are able to serve their communities and provided the educational and operational tools that allow people of modest means to move forward in life. That is why we serve as the sponsor of Generations and that is why we have committed ourselves to serving all of our state’s CDCUs.”