For her 92nd birthday, Dallas resident Edwine Howard got the gift of a lifetime -- a new house, no strings attached.
Howard has lived in her home on Lockheed Avenue for the last 60 years, a house she purchased with her husband for $7,000.
Within those walls, Howard raised seven children, dozens of grandchildren and so many great-grandchildren, it’s difficult to even keep count. Two bedrooms, one bathroom and a lot of love.
But in the next two weeks, those walls will be torn down and a new house will be built for Howard in the same spot.
“I’m just hoping the good Lord will let me live so I can enjoy the house,” Howard said. “I know at 92-years-old, you can’t sit up and take things for granted.”
The new build is part of the city of Dallas’ home reconstruction program, which Howard applied for in 2014.
The program works through a referral program and provides low-income families with assistance for homes that are not repairable. – demolishing the existing house and building a new one on the same site.
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“She pays nothing, there’s no monthly mortgage for her at all,” said Joyce Ayers, Howard’s daughter. “It truly is a gift from the city of Dallas.”
Howard will stay with one of her daughters during construction, her new home is expected to be complete by February 2017.
