United Methodist pastor offers rent relief for at-risk families
10/24/2003 News media contact: Fran Coode Walsh · (615) 742-5458 · Nashville, Tenn
A UMNS Report
By Fran Coode Walsh*
Rent Relief. Photo number W03064, Accompanies UMNS#510
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Rent Relief. Photo number W03065, Accompanies UMNS#510
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The Rev. Jon Laughlin repairs a wall in an apartment for people in need of low-income housing.
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CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Jon Laughlin is a true
do-it-yourselfer. The United Methodist pastor uses his hands to renovate
rental units near his home, and his heart to help those facing
financial emergencies.
Laughlin and his wife, Judi, originally
wanted to help homeless families, but soon saw the need of working
people for low-income housing.
"People aren't getting livable wages," says Laughlin, pastor of Grace United Methodist Church.
The
couple learned that a piece of property, once part of an alcohol
treatment center, was available; however, it was in disrepair. When the
Laughlins visited the site with an appraiser, they began to see great
potential.
In August 2002, the couple decided to purchase the
property. They renamed it "Brave Heart Plaza Apartments," echoing their
appraiser's description of them as "brave hearts" for taking on such a
project.
Laughlin, who had spent more than 20 years as a
Volunteer in Mission, was a veteran renovator. He calls his wife "a
decorator by nature." Both were unsure of how much work the 12 units
would require. The plumbing and electricity had not been updated since
1940; the plaster walls needed repair. Former tenants had turned the
area into a "flophouse," as Laughlin recalls, with "bottles hidden in
the walls."
With the help of a second mortgage on their home,
they spent $45,000 to restore the apartments. A grant of $18,000 from
the city of Cheyenne helped with exterior repairs. Each apartment is
furnished with basic amenities, and rent includes all utility costs.
Laughlin says he wanted to make the property affordable but also to
"make it decent."
Cheyenne offers few other options for
low-income housing. As is true in other cities, an economic downturn
often fuels a crisis for working people, many of whom need affordable
housing immediately, according to Laughlin. "They'll walk in off the
street saying, 'I need a place tonight.'" He recently placed a family
from Mexico who had a 2-day-old baby.
A number of Laughlin's
tenants come from the nearby Warren Air Force base. Since the off-base
housing allowance is only $375, airmen like Dana Oguma say their
military pay doesn't go far in today's market. Oguma found that rents
average $750 a month in the area. At the Brave Heart Plaza Apartments,
he pays $350 in rent, including utilities.
Without this option,
Laughlin is convinced some people would be "sleeping in cars, with no
place to go." Laughlin hopes to have all 12 units restored by January,
18 months after his start date. He says he and his wife have been
pleasantly surprised by some of the ripple effects of their investment.
They
also conduct "a dumpster ministry," getting to know people who search
trash cans near the property, offering them food, and giving them
aluminum cans and other scraps they might be able to sell. Tenants often
are able to supplement their income with the help of a day labor
placement agency nearby.
The best reward for his labor is
"knowing people have a nice, clean place to stay and are treated with
decency," Laughlin says. He hopes others will join in efforts to relieve
the housing crisis. "If we're related," he says, "we need to look out
for each other."
More information is available by contacting Laughlin at pastorjon@bresnan.net.
# # #
*Walsh is coordinating producer for United Methodist News Service.
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