By Andrea Holata

BRIGHTON — The Housing Department handed over the keys to senior Russell Osceola’s new home recently, after just a few months of the building process.

Osceola worked closely with the Seminole Housing Department from start to finish on the building process. The department helped by setting him up with project manager Al Huggins, who supervised the project.

 “He helped me with everything,” Osceola said. “He would suggest things like colors, door handles and light fixtures.”

Prior to his new home being built, Osceola lived at the same homesite for 12-plus years in a modular home.

“Before that, my mother was still alive, so I lived with her,” Osceola said.

Osceola needed a new home because his old house’s base started to deteriorate, he said.

His new home consists of almost 3,000 square feet of living space, including three bedrooms, a game room, two bathrooms, a large living room, a dining room, an inside laundry room, a carport and a screened porch. A far cry from the old modular, the new house’s amenities include granite countertops, solid wood cabinets, stainless steel appliances, high-efficiency heating and air conditioning to keep monthly bills low, hurricane-impact-rated windows and doors, and a generator to power the home, if needed.

 Osceola said he appreciates his new home and the extended space it provides for his family to visit.

“I have my sisters come up every once in a while, and my son Russell Jr. and his wife come by and cook me dinner,” Osceola said. “We are all enjoying it.”

He also said he had a good experience working with project coordinator Carrera Gopher and the Housing Department.

“It’s hard when you are by yourself, so it’s nice when you got somebody with you to suggest things,” Osceola said. “A lot of people don’t like to wait, but it’s worth waiting for. If you are getting a home, put in for it and be patient; it will come around.”