Laquinda Dorsey and Her Family Love Their New Home at The Eastman Reserve
Laquinda Dorsey grew up in Rochester, New York, in the low-income housing project FIGHT Square, now known as West Square Manor, and has lived in the Upper Falls and Marketview Heights neighborhoods most of her life. Last year, Laquinda and her three children, LaVincea, Vince and Marcus, were living in an underserved, low-income part of the city when a friend mentioned that PathStone had begun building The Eastman Reserve and suggested she apply. Anxious to move her children from a neighborhood blighted by the effects of poverty, Laquinda awaited a reply to her application, only to be dismayed when she received a letter of denial due to insufficient income. Determined to move her family to a safe environment, Laquinda obtained a second job and immediately contacted PathStone to inform us about her second source of income. She met with a PathStone Management Corporation representative, and upon further review of her income, was thrilled to learn that, not only did she qualify for an Eastman Reserve unit, she was eligible for a single-family home in one of the higher income brackets.
Laquinda and her family are among the first tenants of The Eastman Reserve, a $53 million mixed-use housing and commercial development in the Eastman Business Park in northwest Rochester. The development is part of a major revitalization effort featuring 187 housing units, including 27 units set aside for survivors of domestic violence and homeless young adults ages 18-24. The Eastman Reserve is the newest affordable housing development in PathStone Management Corporation’s 84-property portfolio that spans Puerto Rico, Ohio, New York, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. PathStone Management Corporation is an industry leader in the affordable housing market and takes pride in reducing common barriers to affordable housing and presenting opportunities to those in need. In FYE 2017, PMC provided high-quality homes for almost 8,000 residents in our affordable housing developments.
On moving day, Laquinda pulled up to her new home and handed her daughter, LaVincea, the keys. As she and her three children walked in, she could simply only describe the look on everyone’s faces as “the best feeling ever.” As they all stood in the middle of their new home, she told her family, “When you work hard, you can have nice things.” Laquinda still gets goosebumps when she walks into her new home. She and her children are finally safe and happy. She says that all of the burdens of living in an unsafe area are behind her now. She thanks PathStone and The Eastman Reserve for providing a beautiful home with all the modern amenities in a safe community where she and her family can live happily and thrive.