A new home for grandma, just in time for Christmas<br>

The home is built with all the newest energy saving features and in accordance with the latest building codes. The windows are insulated, as are the interior walls, while the full bathroom is also Americans with Disabilities Act compliant, with wider doors, wheelchair accessibility and handrails for the toilet and bath.

Tohe said his mother-in-law’s transition to becoming a homeowner is a major step, especially after living with her kids for so long.

“She’s lived here in this area (Mexican Springs) all of her life. Her family started off with a home right off the highway back in the early 1960s. But, there was a death and they had to burn down the house,” Tohe said.

Etsitty’s family was excited to see the doors finally open to grandma’s house and Tohe acknowledges the balance of family and practicality inherent in the design.

“This proves we can use a wood product and make a culturally compatible home for Navajo people. We can find financing for Navajo people to own homes,” Tohe said. “These kinds of doors have to be opened to other Navajo people.”

Navajo Nation Council delegate Melvin R. Begay (Coyote Canyon/Mexican Springs) said, “It’s a sense of accomplishment for one of our community members to have a new home.”

Begay said the combined efforts of family partnering with different organizations to make Etsitty’s new home a reality is the kind of networking the Navajo Nation needs to bring to the people for future self-determination.

“I really appreciate what has happened here – a mother and daughter working together to build a home. Home is where respect and love grows,” Begay said.

Estelle Bowman, executive director for ICE, said the celebration and blessing of Etsitty’s new home was twofold, because the nonprofit organization was also celebrating their fourth anniversary.

Utilizing resources available on the reservation for the construction of homes to benefit Navajo people is what ICE is committed to, Bowman said.

“Our nonprofit organization was designed to look at economic development using our natural resources, specifically small diameter timber,” Bowman said.

She said ICE has two prototypes, one floor plan for classroom space located in Leupp and another design for office space located in Cameron.

Additionally, ICE has built two ceremonial hogans, one on the campus of Northern Arizona University and another located in Torreon. The organization is working to build 20 new single-family homes in 2005.

“This is our sixth elder home we’ve built and it’s the first we’ve built in New Mexico,” Bowman said. “The design was done in consultation with Navajo elders. They want that traditional open space.”

She said the average cost for the Elder Hogan Home is $62,500 and the solid log construction is actually comparable to other log built homes on the market today.

“This elder has been living with her kids. We were looking for elders looking for self-help when we found her. She took out a partial loan and now, she’s a homeowner,” Bowman said.

“Our mission statement is to create self-sufficiency and we work with our clients every step of the way,” Bowman added.

“It’s a new concept for everyone but we’re happy to see the elders take the lead for the next generation,” she said. “We want to build 15 more homes, five in Arizona, five in New Mexico and five in Utah.”

Currently, ICE is assisting eight families in Cameron with their K’e Based Community Planning concept. All of the families in the project are related and will unify their efforts to a common goal.

The premise is all eight families will help each other with the construction of the homes simultaneously and no one family will be left behind in construction.

“They’re going to build their own homes and help each other out,” Bowman said. “They’re all one family. We’ve gotten away from the scattered sites and housing developments.”

For Christmas this year, Martha Etsitty enjoyed the holiday season with her family in her new Elder Hogan Home.

(Rick Abasta is Public Information Officer for the Navajo Housing Authority.)

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