Sydney Bonner
newsroom@bosseirpress.com
On a quiet street in Bossier City sits a brown-bricked home with a beige rooftop, to a regular passerby, it looks like any other home.
But inside, you will find a woman by the name of Toshia Coleman, who stands out among the others.
After spending most of her life living in apartments raising her two children as a single parent, she decided that there was something better out there for her family — a real home.
“I can honestly say that this home has been a tremendous blessing and I give all the glory to God to not have to come home to an apartment.” Coleman said. “The peace and quiet of my neighborhood after a long day at work is my favorite part of it all.”
It was a long journey for Toshia to find her dream home after years of throwing money at rent.
Last January sparked a change in her life. Coleman had been idle for so long that she didn’t know where to begin. She credits the push from her fiancée and boyfriend of five years, Ike Cooper as what got her going in the right direction.
“This has been a rewarding and satisfying experience to see Toshia get the home of her dreams,” Cooper said. “All I had to do was encourage her and put the focus into action.”
Coleman decided to attend a homebuyers’ education class through a community organization, which began her journey. She admitted that the class was very helpful to her and showed her all the red flags you should look for whenever buying a home.
The next step was finding the perfect bank to help fund her dream home.
After several banks, Coleman felt lost, but she finally found a perfect match in Red River Bank.
There Coleman became acquainted with a woman by the name of Judy Madison, assistant vice president, who helped Coleman create the loan she had been looking for.
The Homebuyer Equity Leverage Partnership (HELP) grant from Red River Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) were the missing pieces to complete her dream home.
Madison is proud of what Red River Bank can do for their customers and encourages anyone who needs a helping hand with their first home.
With Dallas member institutions, like Red River Bank, first time homebuyers are able to make down payments and closing costs on the home within their new budget. Just last year, the company was able to award almost $1 million in HELP grants to aid 203 families or individuals.
“I personally want to thank Mrs. Judy and everyone who helped me. She is a very nice, sweet, patient woman.” Coleman said. “I could go on and on about saying things about Mrs. Judy—she is a very special person.”
As of last month, Coleman reflects on how it has already been one year since the purchase of her first home.
“Paying a mortgage and saying that I own my own home now is a dream come true for my family and me.”
Once the moment finally came to close on her home, Coleman admitted she cried.
“This is it, this is my home.”
The brown-bricked house with a beige roof isn’t just any home you see, it’s Toshia Coleman’s.
