Project helps former inmates close on homes

Strolling his porch, which wraps around all but one side of his historic granite home in Pilot Knob, Mo., Robert Eckert is still in awe that he'll never be writing a rent check again.

Sure, he has his monthly house payments to send to the bank and other bills to pay, but those don't worry Eckert much. The 49-year-old ex-offender doesn't feel like he's throwing away his money anymore and feels lucky to be providing for his disabled wife and son in a way he never thought he'd be able to.

With guidance from a program called Project Home, started by the U.S. Probation Office in the Eastern District of Missouri, Eckert and his wife closed on their first home in October 2009. Seven other ex-offenders, two in Jackson and the rest spread throughout Southeast Missouri, also purchased their own home with help from the program and the probation officers and community partners, like bankers and real estate agents, that are dedicated to its success.

"We said we'd never be able to afford our own home," said Eckert, who in 2007 was put on five years' probation by the federal court for credit card fraud. "Now that we've got the home, we want to do everything we can to take care of it and keep it. It's an indescribable feeling."

Eckert said that without encouragement from Kathy Hollenbeck, a federal probation and parole officer leading Project Home in Cape Girardeau, he wouldn't have ever considered buying his own residence. Project Home, initiated by a St. Louis probation officer, kicked off in Cape Girardeau in January 2009.

At a two-hour orientation Saturday, community resources used a step-by-step approach with the ex-offenders, helping them establish credit and an understanding of the loan, purchasing and titling processes. Eckert and the other Project Home beneficiaries attended similar sessions before closing on their homes.

"The partners are wonderful, and the orientation is a very open forum. We encourage questions," Hollenbeck said. "Knowledge is power, that's what I tell them."

No government funding is used to assist the ex-offenders in their purchase, Hollenbeck added, although she and other probation officers mentor the individuals through the process. Representatives from Local Project Home partners, including US Bank, Realty Executives and United Land Title Co. in Cape Girardeau, donate their time to assist interested ex-offenders.

Orientation

Released from federal prison in September 2009, Stacey Stanley of New Madrid, Mo. is anxious to restore what she lost while she was serving 14 months for forgery. She hasn't owned a home since 2006, Stanley said Saturday at a Project Home session at Realty Executives, and shares a home that's too small with her husband and son.

Among other things, Stanley, 42, just really wants her son to have his own room.

"You feel hopeless, like you can't even provide for your children," she said. "I'm more than ready."

Being ready is one good step, although being prepared financially is a bigger step, said Bryan Welker, a US Bank mortgage loan officer and Project Home partner. Welker told the ex-offenders Saturday that their first goal should be establishing a good credit score. Pay bills on time, he said, and get up-to-date on any delinquent accounts. Welker also briefly informed the Project Home participants of several loan programs that could assist in obtaining a loan if their credit score remained low.

"It's going to take time. It's a process," he said.

Hollenbeck said restoring credit is the longest and most difficult process for ex-offenders.

"If they're just getting out of prison, it's of course going to be zero," she said. "Sometimes, they'll find out there are garnishments, like old hospital bills or child support, that they've got to start working on getting paid off so their score can start coming up."

Wanda Dunkin, a broker with Realty Executives, offered additional advice to participants Saturday and reiterated that the process is long, often frustrating.

"It's not a race to the finish line," Duncan said. "It's a race to build yourself up so you can purchase in the future."

Getting the keys

Whether it's because of good behavior or a long-term commitment to his future, Eckert is pleased to be off supervised probation. Eckert got the news November, just over a year after getting the keys to his two-bedroom home near the Fort Davidson State Historic Site.

"They said I was released for good behavior," Eckert said. "But if people have the responsibility of owning a home ... they're less likely to get in trouble."

Hollenbeck said it's not uncommon for ex-offenders who make long-term goals for themselves or enroll in educational programs to be released from supervision sooner than a judge originally ordered.

Six of the eight Project Home participants were released from their terms of probation early, she said.

According to research by Washington State Institute for Public Policy, which reviewed adult and juvenile re-entry programs, crime rates drop when offenders enroll in treatment or educational programs after release. The institute analyzed findings from 25 programs and determined on average they can reduce recidivism rates by 6.3 percent.

Eckert said he had to make changes in his life for his family, who he says stood by him when he faced 18 months of confinement. He was proud to get keys to their first home, once a Civil War hospital, as a family because of their continued support.

"I didn't want to go to jail, I wanted to be home and take care of my family. There's not a lot of women that would stand behind their guy like my wife did and that means a lot," Eckert said. "It's sometimes overwhelming, you just can't believe you've done it."

Hollenbeck said closing day is just as exciting for her and the Project Home partners as it is for the ex-offender.

"It gives you a sense of purpose. It really makes you feel like you're something good for somebody," she said.

ehevern@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

555 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO

2511 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO

Pilot Knob, MO