Slippery Slope of Foreclosures on Meeting House Hill

By Ryan Meehan

DORCHESTER - Lined with abandoned three-story homes, Hendry Street could be the center of housing foreclosures in Boston.

Last week, Mayor Thomas M. Menino visited Hendry Streeet to announce an initiative to stem the toll of the rising number of foreclosures in the city. His plan relies on a foreclosure intervention team that is responsible remedying the plague.

Charles Henderson, CEO of Cirvco International LLC, a real estate solutions agency, said that Hendry Street has a stigma. "No one wants to live there," he said.

After one week, Mayor Menino's intervention team has already acquired properties to eventually renovate and resell.

Other organizations, such as Cirvco, have been working to help homeowners facing foreclosure understand their options.

"We are like counselors for homeowners and inform them of things they might not know about," Sherina Hendrix, a Cirvco employee currently working with a family facing foreclosure on Hendry Street, said.

Hendrix has helped indebted homeowners with a process known as “short selling,” which involves negotiating prices with a bank to enable the owner to pay their debt at a reduced rate. She also assists residents moving and rebuilding their credit. She said that all options are explored before short selling.

“Banks are not being realistic,” Henderson said. “They hire brokers who estimate the price of homes without knowing how much it will cost to repair. What the banks don’t realize is that no one is in place to hire a contractor to fix up all the things wrong with the property.”

When it comes to investing, Henderson said potential buyers now must put down a deposit from 20-25 percent as opposed to the former 100 percent financing. Many people cannot afford to pay. Interested buyers are now both holding out and waiting for the price to drop or having “straw buyers” with good credit pay for the property for the person that could not afford it in the first place.

Jeanne DuBois, executive director of the Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation, said the state should secure loans for mortgage holders, because problems arise when the loans become larger than the house is worth.

The next step is to manage or renovate the houses. The sooner the houses are fixed, the sooner they can be rented. DuBois said the “gap” between the cost of construction and what a first time homebuyer can afford is growing.

“When houses around you are becoming foreclosed, you have the ripple effect – one after another. All of a sudden no house is worth what their mortgage is,” DuBois said.

The ripple phenomenon, which is exemplified by Hendry Street, breeds crime and violence. Area residents fear that due to the crisis, living near Meeting House Hill will become increasingly unsafe.

Profile: Lev Bryant

By Ryan Meehan

DORCHESTER – Ten years ago, after having grown up conflicted and distraught in Savin Hill, Lev Bryant, 33, left behind all that he knew and drove “aimlessly” until he settled in Tampa, Fla., in search of a better life. Today, the humble, bearded man finds himself back in Dorchester, living in a religious commune, finally having found peace within himself and in his environment.

“Until five years ago, I was sure there was nothing to live for,” Bryant said. “I thought there was no point in getting married or having kids. Now, I think the opposite.”

Bryant says that his newfound comfort goes beyond his beliefs in God because he has discovered love. Growing up, he had never experienced anything significant; he had no close personal relationships with friends or family members – he was a lost soul.

Bryant is now happily married to Yahanna Bryant and is the proud father of an 11-month-old boy named Asher. He works full time at the Common Ground Café on Dorchester Avenue, which the members of the community built and operate themselves.
“He’s awful nice for growing up in Dorchester,” Nezer Al-Dokhi, the café manager, said in jest. Al-Dokhi, 26, is one of 30 people who live in the community with Bryant in an old Victorian house on Melville Avenue.

Everyone in the house has a role to fulfill, from cleaning the dishes to repairing the roof. Selfishness does not exist – neither in their actions or thoughts. Bryant’s wife, for instance, is responsible for home-schooling all of the children in the community. She says that Bryant is the house headmaster.

“We work for fun,” says Bryant. “There are a lot of needs in the house – we keep plenty busy. I don’t believe in ‘free time’.”

Some residents grew up in the Boston commune or in one of the many branches that exist across the world. Others, like Bryant, discovered the community during a troubled period of his or her life. Residents come from various religious backgrounds, so the commune does not adhere to one specific religion. Rather, the members share similar religious beliefs. Helping and loving others are the foundations of their beliefs.

The members of the community vary in ethnicity and age. Many of the younger members cherish his company and are inspired by his charisma.

“He writes the funniest songs ever!” Shomeret Johnson, a student of his wife, said. Johnson, 10, has grown up in the house her whole life.

“I talk to him all day about my problems and he always has answers,” says co-worker and community member Sarah Johnson, 19, originally from Chicago. “He’s so wise.”

The community house on Melville Avenue resembles the community of Dorchester itself. It is a melting pot of individuals from all corners of the globe. In a neighborhood rumored to be so tumultuous, Bryant and his community members have managed to find peace.