Non-Metro Area Agency on Aging Celebrates New Program as Senior Moves into New Home

On November 22, 2024, six new friends joined Candie Chacon at her new home near the Santa Cruz River. Candie has lived on the property all her life, like her parents before her. It was a beautiful, sunny day. Among the group, tears were shed, and pie was shared. It was a joyful occasion, just before Thanksgiving.

About a year ago, Josie Allano of the Santa Cruz and El Rancho senior centers in Santa Fe County contacted Candie about a new home repair program for seniors. Josie was concerned about the condition of Candie’s home and her quality of life.

Candie jumped at the opportunity to apply to the new program, offered by the Non-Metro Area Agency on Aging (NMAAA) and funded by Housing NM (formerly the NM Mortgage Finance Authority or MFA). Candie soon met Sandra Sosa, NMAAA’s Housing Coordinator, who walked Candie through the process. Unfortunately, Candie’s mobile home was severely deteriorated, and the addition to the mobile home was unstable and unsafe. The day the assessment team visited, Candie’s home was identified as beyond repair.

During a previous mee ng with Housing NM, Sandra had learned about a program for mobile home replacements already underway in the state. This inspired the idea of replacing Candie’s mobile home as a more effective solution than pursuing costly and impractical repairs. Together with colleagues Sandra explored leveraging funds from the Senior Home Repair and Modification Program to make this a reality.

After extensive research, multiple meetings, and site visits to gather es mates, by June 2024 the team’s hard work paid off. Housing NM approved the plan, paving the way to replace Candie’s home.

“The partnership’s success in providing Candie a safe and decent home is proof that when resources are made available to serve those most in need, transformative change is possible,” shared Housing NM Assistant Director of Policy and Planning Sonja Unrau. “For this reason, Housing New Mexico has pursued $75 million through HUD’s PRICE program to expand manufactured housing rehabilitation and replacement across the state.”

Less than a year later, Candie stood in her new home, surrounded by her new friends. “I am so grateful to everyone who made this happen,” said Candie.

The home is an 853 square foot, two-bedroom, two-bath, single wide manufactured home, with a modern kitchen and living room laid out in an open floor plan. In contrast with Candie’s old home, it is warm and natural light streams in from the windows. NMAAA purchased the home from Zia Factory Outlet, which worked with NMAAA to provide the best cost possible for this and other replacement homes. Contactor Adán Estrada explains the creative ways he addressed unexpected difficulties in the home replacement project.

Candie’s home replacement was complicated by many factors. One is the high water table due to her proximity to the Santa Cruz River. Another is her old well, which her father dug by hand, but would not meet modern building codes. To avoid contaminating the ground water, he brought in 130 tons of fill to raise up the septic tank, and he connected a water cistern to the well to store and provide water on demand when the well is not pumping. Adán planned for proper maintenance by installing an alarm system on the septic tank to alert Candie when it is getting full. Even removing the old home and bringing in the new home was challenging; the narrow driveway and sloping ground required much navigation and coordination with neighbors. “It has been a blessing to work with this program,” says Adán. “By repairing safety concerns for seniors, it has allowed them to be more self-sufficient and enjoy their home.”

NMAAA Director Neil Sego a emphasized that Candie’s story, and the stories of the other seniors who were having their homes repaired, need to get out. “These home repairs are changing their lives completely,” says Sego a, who previously directed Colfax County Seniors, Inc. “Working with seniors and going into their homes, you see so many concerning conditions. It is amazing that we can help with this; that we can make their homes safe and comfortable so they have many, many more years to live independently.”

Perhaps the person with the biggest smile that day was Josie, who referred many seniors she works with to the NMAAA Senior Home Repair Program. “Candie deserves this so much,” says Josie. “She has great faith in the Lord. I always see her manitas up in the air at church. She is small but she raises them the highest. It is so good that the Lord has helped her get into this new home where she can be safe, warm, and happy.”