7/30/09
The local branch of Habitat for Humanity received its highest-ever number of housing applicants within the last year, and an Española family is set to move into a Habitat’s first home of 2009.
About 50 volunteers, Española Valley/Los Alamos Habitat for Humanity staff and business leaders braved withering heat Sunday, as Habitat officially dedicated its latest home to the Pacheco family at 820A State Road 30 in Española.
“All our stuff is packed up except for the dishes,” Loretta Pacheco said. “We’ll be getting all new furniture and everything.”
“We’ve rented our whole life,” Loretta’s husband, Santos Pacheco, said. “It’s exciting to finally own a house.”
Santos is a groundskeeper for Los Alamos County, and Loretta is a stay-at-home mother. They are leaving behind their El Rancho home, which Habitat Director of Operations Yvonne Maestas Rios said suffered from sagging floors, a centipede infestation and sewage problems.
Jerry Romero, Habitat’s building director, said the Pachecos’ old three-room home was too small; the family had to set up two beds in the den, with Loretta and Santos sleeping in what amounted to a closet.
“It was very unhealthy and unsanitary,” Romero said. “And just look at this house. I’d like to be moving in here myself.”
The new house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, all modified for Loretta’s and Santos’ son, Patricio, who is confined to a wheelchair.
Patricio Pacheco, an engineering student at the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos, said his family sent in their application for the Habitat home last August and after being selected were told they might move in to a new house as early as January. He said the house took about eight months to build and has been stalled since with inspections and tweaking construction problems.
But the family is “excited and anxious” to move in, Patricio said.
The Pachecos are still waiting for an official move-in date as Rio Arriba County Planning and Zoning officials finalize paperwork to approve the building’s occupancy. Rios said she hopes to have the family moved in within a week.
The Pacheco house was built with what Rios calls “sweat equity” from the family and from volunteers — most notably from Los Alamos National Bank. About 90 bank employees put in over 1,400 hours of work on the house, Rios said.
With most of the materials being donated for free or at-cost, Habitat spent about $74,000 on the house, plus about $6,000 for the land, Romero said.
Just before the dedication ceremony for the Pachecos’ new home, Habitat broke ground on a new project just a stone’s throw away, on the same 2.1 acre tract of land. That house will be for Elena Roybal and her three daughters, Anicia, Angelica and Isabel.
It will be Habitat’s seventh new house in 14 years in the Valley, on top of the 22 they have renovated or repaired, according to Rios. The organization has refocused its efforts over the last five years to focus more on new home building rather than repairs, but a lack of volunteers has limited their ability to construct new homes, Rios said.
To qualify for a Habitat home, families must be of low- to middle-income, have a “decent” credit report, be willing to put an agreed-upon number of “sweat equity” hours into building the house and be able to pay a mortgage, Rios said. About 30 families applied for Habitat’s most recent house, which was the local branch’s highest number ever, Rios said.
Stan Primak, the head contractor for both the Pacheco and Roybal homes, said he hopes construction will get underway within a month on the other home.
Habitat is looking for volunteers ages 16 or older to help with upcoming projects like the Roybal home.
Anyone interested can call 747-2690, visit Habitat’s ReStore in Arroyo Seco or visit habitatevla.org.