Media Coverage

Dream home comes true for family through Habitat

By Paula J. Owen Worcester Telegram & Gazette

August 23, 2008 LEOMINSTER — The Lozada family lived in apartments unsuitable for their daughter, Meralis, 6, who was born with spinal bifida, to get around in with her wheelchair and walker. Finally, they got a break, when Habitat for Humanity told them they were approved for a home.

Magdalena “Maggie” Lozada, 44, and her husband Luis A. Lozada, 43, were carrying their daughter’s wheelchair in and out of apartments that had no wheelchair ramps. Mrs. Lozada said her daughter also had trouble getting around because of the small hallways and bathrooms in the apartments they rented.

When Meralis was born, the Lozadas made the decision to have Mrs. Lozada quit her full-time job in quality control to stay home and take care of her. The couple also has a son, Adrian L. Lozada, 10.

“I had to stop working because of my daughter’s condition,” she said. “She needed 24-7 attention, so we made the decision for me to stay home. I did not feel right having her go to child care or even to leave her to one of my family members. She was just so fragile.”

Mr. Lozada continued working full time at a nursing home, she said. But with only one income, the family thought their dream of owning a home was unreachable.

“My husband was the only one that worked,” Mrs. Lozada said. “We continued living in different apartments, hoping to get something handicapped-accessible.”

Then, four years ago, when at therapy for Meralis at the Lipton Center, one of the staff members mentioned Habitat for Humanity and advised Mrs. Lozada to apply, she said.

The family put in their application at the Fitchburg Civic Center.

However, even though they were chosen to have a home built by Habitat, the lots in Fitchburg were not suitable for the family’s needs, she said. They needed a ranch-style home. They also wanted to stay in their hometown of Leominster. The couple is from Puerto Rico, and Mrs. Lozada said she settled in Leominster when she was only 12.

She said she later received a call from Megan J. Foley, executive director of Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts in Fitchburg, who told her a lot had been donated in Leominster that was suitable for the family.

The family drove by the lot often before and during construction, Mrs. Lozada said. She and her husband helped with building the three-bedroom home, and the kids also pitched in. In July 2007, the family moved into their first home, on Whitney Street. The home is handicapped-accessible and has enough space for their daughter to move around. They also have a yard where the kids love to play with Lily, their Chihuahua-mix, she said. It would have been impossible to have a dog in the apartments they lived in, she added.

“It is something we are going to treasure forever,” she said. “Emotionally and financially, just knowing that we can call this home is a great feeling.”

Ms. Foley said Habitat homes open up a whole new pathway for families and affects all areas of their lives. Kids that move into the homes do better in school and are happier, and the families are able to save money because they are typically paying less than they would for the rent in substandard apartments. Families are given zero-interest mortgages that they can afford, she said.

“Across the country, studies show that kids that grow up in homes are less at risk for teen pregnancy and to get into trouble, and are more likely to graduate high school, and there is a 115 percent jump in kids who go to college. It has a ripple effect that goes down through the generations,” she said.

Habitat homes are built by the families that will live in them and volunteers, Ms. Foley said. Single-parent families are required to put 300 hours of sweat equity into the home, and those with two adults must put in 500 hours, she said.

“They work alongside the volunteers, and it helps build their confidence as homeowners,” she said. “It also builds a network of contacts in the community.”

Also, partnerships are formed with groups and organizations through volunteers in the communities the homes are built in, Ms. Foley said. It is not unusual for 100 volunteers to show up to help, she said, and for the same volunteers to show up project after project.

With a $476,000 budget last year and 11,000 hours donated by volunteers, four families were put into Habitat homes in Acton, Ashburnham, Fitchburg and Townsend, she said. In the Twin Cities in the last 20 years, two homes have been built in Leominster and five in Fitchburg.

The organization depends on private and business donations, Ms. Foley said, and on federal grants and land donations by the host communities.

The Lozadas’ home was built in partnership with the Leominster Community Lions Club and students from the Leominster Center for Technical Education, Ms. Foley said, and the land was donated by the city.

Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts was established in 1988 and serves 25 communities, including Acton, Ashburnham, Ashby, Ayer, Fitchburg, Gardner, Leominster, Lunenburg, and Westminster.

For more information or to volunteer, call (978) 348-2749 or visit www.ncmhabitat.org.