Stepbrothers who suffered traumatic brain injuries are now homeowners

MILWAUKEE -- Two Milwaukee men who each suffered traumatic brain injuries at a young age are now homeowners, and their parents couldn't be happier!

Marques Crump and Ricci Haddix each suffered traumatic brain injuries when they were 10 years old. Both suffered repeated seizures and a diagnosis of encephalitis. The boys each ended up having surgery to remove a small portion of their brain to reduce the amount of seizures.

Then, tragically, both Ricci's mother and Marques' father died of cancer.

Through it all, the Crump and Haddix families supported one another.

Now, as single parents, and sole providers, Ricci's father Phil and Marques' mother Rosemary chose a group home setting for their now young men. The men are 37 years old, and homeowners!

"All of this is a part of this is a part of a comprehensive plan for our sons to become more independent than they would be if they were institutionalized," Phil Haddix said.

"My son looked up at me and said 'Mom, I live in a hell-hole. I hate it,' and I had to do something," Rosemary Crump said.

Years later, and now married to each other, Phil Haddix and Rosemary Crump found out about the "Movin' Out Program" out of Madison, which helps disabled individuals who have guardians to buy their own homes.

"They gave us a nice down payment grant, and it's a loan which diminishes every year for five years and by the end of five years, it's gone," Rosemary Crump said.

The program is government funded and with a secured home loan, they found a condo that Ricci and Marques seem to really like.

"It brings the kind of stability to Ricci and Marques that Rosemary and I are looking for in the event that we're no longer in the picture," Phil Haddix said.

The stepbrothers use their social security money to pay for their mortgage and taxes, so they're giving part of what they get from the government back to the government.

CLICK HERE for additional information on the Movin' Out Program.