Public Employee Press

From cramped flat to coastal condo

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

On a clear day Irene Santiago, an Assistant Scientist in Local 375, can see forever. It’s a perk that comes with the brand new Rockaway Beach condominium she purchased through the DC 37 Municipal Employees Housing Program.

“I can’t wait to start my day with a cup of coffee on my terrace,” said a delighted Santiago, who visited her two-bedroom condo on the Rockaway Peninsula for the first time the day before taking ownership. “I am nervous and excited, happy and apprehensive all at once. I made my decision based only on floor plans. I had a choice of four upgrades and I went platinum all the way!”

Santiago, who was an oncologist (tumor specialist) in Russia, came to New York in 1991, passed the medical boards and became a member of Civil Service Technical Guild Local 375 in 1995. She is one of three inspectors of radiology machines for the city.

She and her son, Alex, who immigrated from St. Petersburg, Russia, two years ago, were renting a cramped, one bedroom flat in Washington Heights. “Rent will always increase. It was time to own, but houses in the city are too expensive,” Santiago said. “I took the living room and gave my son the bedroom, which he also used as an office. Now we will each have a bedroom and much more space.” She beamed upon seeing the sixth floor condo she will share with her son and two miniature poodles, Ivan the Terrible and Igor.

Housing crunch
MEHP came about after DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts met with Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Housing Commissioner Shaun Donovan to provide DC 37 members a better chance ataffordable housing. MEHP is a unique partnership between the union, the Dept. of Housing Preservation and Development, and Neighborhood Housing Services, a nonprofit ­homeownership organization.

MEHP provides qualified DC 37 members with grants through HomeFirst for first-time home buyers, and mortgages through 10 banks. MEHP also offers refinancing and foreclosure prevention, counseling, credit repair and savings plans, and has a 5 percent set aside lottery preference for rental apartments. The program also provides assistance with federal Section 8 grants and permanent apartments in New York City Housing Authority projects for homeless union families.

After reading about MEHP in the PEP, Santiago put a binder and later an initial deposit on the Arverne by the Sea condo last year before construction was completed. She contacted MEHP Coordinator Noemi Vega, who helped her obtain a mortgage through JP Morgan Chase, and used one of Local 375’s Professional Employees Legal Services lawyers for the closing.

Santiago also received $8,000 towards closing costs from Chase, and $31,000 in federal and state subsidies that further reduced the condo price so her monthly mortgage payment will be on a par with average rents.

“We are going to build a new community here,” Santiago offered. “Saint Petersburg is the most beautiful city, but New York is next.” The Arverne by the Sea development will one day “look like a European resort area, with boutiques, nice buildings, a YMCA and even a water taxi to Manhattan,” Santiago added.

With unobstructed views of rooftops, parks and the Atlantic Ocean on the horizon, Irene Santiago is grateful to DC 37 for her new home. “DC 37 has helped in every aspect of my life,” she said. “When I needed to file a grievance, when I needed a mortgage and when I needed a lawyer to close on this condo, my union was here for me.”