Mena Family Celebrates 10th Year of Partnership with GNHFH
The Mena Family in front of their Tolles Street property in Nashua. Photo by Marie Matthews.
More than ten years ago the Mena family was searching for a home in the French Hill area of Nashua when they found out about Habitat for Humanity. “There was an auction for a house on Tolles Street and they bid on the house but it didn’t work out.” That’s when Nancy Metsiou, a Mena family cousin, found out about Habitat for Humanity through the newspaper. “Habitat turned out to be a much better proposition,” explains Family Selection Committee member Vicki Hatfield.
Elizabeth Mena says that Habitat for Humanity seemed like such an unbelievable blessing: she and her husband Luis Mena felt the house they were bidding on was not meant to be and that God knew of a better plan for them… but they had their reservations. “We had a lot of doubts – when we met the Habitat for Humanity team everything sounded so great”. Elizabeth laughs when she looks back: “as typical Colombians, we felt it was too good to be true!”
Elizabeth and Luis Mena arrived in Nashua 22 years ago. They each moved from Colombia; Luis came from Obando Valle and Elizabeth from Cartago Valle. They came because they each had family in New Hampshire but they did not meet each other until moving to the Nashua area. Part of their plan to start a family together was to become home owners.
After the unsuccessful bid for a home they decided to apply for a property with Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity and invested themselves with other volunteers in the effort to erect it.
The Mena’s have raised their family there: three children and an additional child that joined them later. Luis says “it feels quite good living on Tolles Street. The neighborhood hasn’t changed much, there are all types of people in this area but one thing we appreciate is that everyone respects each other’s privacy.” Luis adds that this has not taken away from a sense of community: “our children have grown up with the other children in the area; privacy is very important to us but we get along with everyone and that’s the balance we have been afforded here in this home”.
Determination has been a key factor in the succesful partnership between the Menas and Habitat for Humanity. “When we moved here we felt we made commitments to Habitat for Humanity and the community; we felt determined to stay here. Everything has gone so well that we feel very happy with respect to the mutual commitments we made. We are very grateful to God for the opportunity Habitat for Humanity afforded us,” says Elizabeth. Interestingly, they no longer feel the weight of a commitment. Elizabeth adds: “It’s more a great sense of satisfaction than it is a sense of taxing commitment, we are still very committed to Habitat for Humanity and the neighborhood but it’s not, in any way, like carrying a burden – on the contrary, we are so happy here.”
Inarguably, this sense of transition from “commitment” to “partnership” stems from a number of circumstances, but most specifically two. When the Menas applied for a Habitat for Humanity home they agreed to keep a 500 hour “sweat equity” commitment (today the required sweat equity commitment is 350 hours), which they fulfilled and which gave them a much stronger sense of ownership. Elizabeth and Luis explain that it’s exciting to live in the place that they helped build. They have video footage and photos of the entire process. “It’s watching a dream come true – it’s impressive to think that this is a reality,” says Elizabeth.
Another critical element that elevated their experience from one of “commitment” to one of “partnership” was the dedication and involvement of other Habitat volunteers. ”Vicki Hatfield has been there from the beginning and we are very grateful to her and her husband.” Elizabeth adds: “The entire group helped us a great deal – but Vicki was particularly helpful and still remains a close friend. There was a great deal of support and Vicki excelled at this. She was the bridge between us and the rest of the organization.”
The home ownership experience the Mena family has had, particularly their strengthened sense of community, echoes a point made by Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity President Jerry Harrow recently. “At Habitat for Humanity we observe first-hand the benefits when a neighborhood is populated with home-owners, regardless of their income level. Home-owners are more invested in their community, and are more likely to volunteer in civic and political activites. There is also a strong correlation between owner-occupied homes and reduced levels of crime.”
One of the most important successes in the Menas’ experience is their sense of belonging and citizenship in Nashua. Elizabeth and Luis both feel rooted in Nashua now. They are also happy with the relationship their neighborhood has established with the City of Nashua. Luis points out that “the police patrol and work well with the community. The police know those who live in the area. It has given us a great sense of safety and belonging.”
The Mena’s, who now have four grandchildren, celebrated the 10th year anniversary of their move into a home they built with the Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity this past March.
Q & A with Vicki Hatfield of the Family Selection Committee
Family Selection Committee member Vicki Hatfield played a very important role in helping the Mena family achieve their dream of home ownership – more importantly, she was actively engaged in getting other volunteers to interact in the Family Support phase of the partnership.
Where did the Mena family fit in the order of families that GNHFH has been able to help become home-owners?
The Tolles Street project was our first. We had three qualified applicants for two homes. The Menas were our absolute first choice. When we were selecting families they were living with other family members and their two daughters had a closet as their bedroom.
What was it about the Mena family that made them a successful match for Habitat for Humanity? What made them a good family to partner with?
They were very enthusiastic; both adults, along with their 15 year old son, were at the job site almost every weekend. Prior to applying for a Habitat home they had been trying to buy a house at auction on Tolles Street. They were outbid at the auction.
What has been the most memorable part of the experience of partnering with the Mena family?
For me, the most memorable part of the experience was how the kids from both families* bonded even before they moved into the houses and even though the Lalmonds have been gone for over a year, the kids are still in touch with each other. They are very much like extended family to each other and to me. Both families have become very good friends of mine and my husband.
* (the Menas live in one half of a duplex built by GNHFH and moved in concurrent to the Lalmonds, another family that partnered with GNHFH and who occupied the other half of the duplex until recently)
Tags: 10th Anniversary, City of Nashua, Ed Lopez, Elizabeth Mena, Family Selection Committee, Family Support Committee, French Hill, Jerry Harrow, Luis Mena, Mena Family, Nashua, Public Relations Committee, Sweat Equity, Tolles Street, Vicki Hatfield
