Meet Sherry Persaud
Sherry Persaud arrived in the United States from Guyana with her family when she was 14 years old. The family settled in Northern Virginia, and Sherry went on to attend Howard University.
After becoming a parent, Sherry knew it was time to pursue homeownership. “I never had a foundation growing up,” says Sherry “and I was determined to not have my daughter move around.” Since her mother would also be living with them, Sherry’s neighborhood of choice was easy- Mount Pleasant. Sherry’s mother had worked in the neighborhood for over 15 years and had strong ties to the community. Her mother was getting older and Sherry felt safer knowing if something were to happen her mother would have people to rely on.
What was not easy, was finding the right home in Mount Pleasant to accommodate her family. For three years Sherry searched but could not find a unit that was both affordable and accessible for her aging mother. That is, until she came to Manna.
A friend referred Sherry to Manna and she met (former) Marketing Specialist Eve Werbicki. Eve showed Sherry a few properties that weren’t quite right. However, Manna had recently begun construction on a building in the heart of the Mount Pleasant community, which included an accessible unit on the ground floor perfect for Sherry and her family.
The Atonatl, at 3125 Mt. Pleasant St., NW, was donated to Manna after a fire forced tenants to vacate their units. Manna secured HOME financing through the District of Columbia’s Department of Housing and Community Development to rehabilitate the building, and worked with the previous tenants of the property to convert the building into a condominium. Manna successfully completed rehabilitation of the building producing eleven 1-bedroom and one 2-bedroom units. Prices for these units ranged from $132,000 to $214,000.
Since becoming a homeowner, Sherry has become more involved in what is going on in the community and city, including becoming a member of Manna’s Board of Directors. Manna founder, Rev. Jim Dickerson, approached Sherry when a position on the Board became available in 2010. Sherry took time to consider her decision. Initially, she was hesitant to join the Board since she did not have a background in affordable housing, and she did not know what she could contribute to the group. After accepting the position, Sherry realized, “There are so many great people on the Board with such vastly different backgrounds in affordable housing. I am hopeful that I can learn from them and use that information to assist Manna in helping others.” Through her participation on the Board, Sherry has been able to help Manna fulfill its mission of providing affordable housing which has given her an increased sense of fulfillment.
Meet Mian Shafi
Mian Shafi, a tenant at 3125 Mt. Pleasant Street, NW, had everything he needed in his neighborhood. He was known to be very warm and friendly by many of his neighbors. Mt. Pleasant is where he worked, lived, and played—a great joy and convenience that many do not get to experience.
In 2002, Mian’s mother had a stroke and his brother suffered a heart attack in his homeland of Pakistan. He made plans to go to Pakistan for two months to care for his family. Less than two weeks into his trip he received devastating news. The apartment building where he lived was destroyed in a fire. Mian had to leave his ailing family and return to the U.S. to retrieve whatever belongings he could find in the charred building. When he returned, nothing remained— there were no remnants of any of his cherished items. Even worse, he found himself in a situation where many victims of fire find themselves. Mian had become homeless. He had no place to call home; he bounced around from one friend’s house to another for more than a year.
After the fire, the Mount Pleasant building where Mian had previously lived was donated to Manna by owners who knew and appreciated Manna’s mission. Manna secured HOME financing through the District of Columbia’s Department of Housing and Community Development to rehabilitate the building, and worked with the previous tenants of the property to convert the building into a condominium. Manna successfully completed rehabilitation of the building producing eleven 1-bedroom and one 2-bedroom units.
The building was christened the Atonatl Condominium, and plans for rebuilding were underway. Manna wanted to work with the former tenants and help them become homeowners. Mario Cristaldo, former Director of Community Relations and Organizing at Manna, contacted Mian to get him involved with the tenant association meetings. He joined the HomebuyersClub in 2003, and graduated from the program in three years. He was on his way to becoming a homeowner and living in the building and neighborhood that he treasured. As his life was getting back to normal, Mian received more devastating news. His mother suffered another stroke, and he was off to Pakistan again before he finished closing on his home. With Manna’s help, he did not return from his trip in the same bewildered state he was in when he left for Pakistan. When he returned this time, he was a Manna homeowner instead of homeless.
You would never be able to tell that these hardships happened to Mian. Anyone speaking to him would only be able to notice his cheerful disposition even as he spoke of the obstacles in his life: “There were so many people at Manna who helped me become a homeowner, I had no reason to be upset.”