Communities Coming Together Can Make a Difference

By Jeneva Martinez

Seventeen years ago, when my son and I saw a couple standing in front of Roswell’s Walmart holding a sign asking for help, we stopped to ask them what they needed. We learned that they were living in the riverbed.

I was born and raised in Roswell and still call this town home today. I come from a hardworking family; my mom was a teacher, and my dad worked three jobs. But even with all this hard work, my family knows how hard it is to keep a roof over our heads.

Meeting that couple living in the riverbed started me on a path to figure out how we can do right by our neighbors here in Roswell. I collected sleeping bags and tents for people experiencing homelessness and later helped launch two shelters. While these were important steps, I knew the systemic issues ran deeper.

New Mexico’s housing crisis and the resulting homelessness are growing. Shelters, churches, and nonprofits are struggling to keep up with the need. As my neighbors and I worked together to help people in Roswell, we ran into red tape. There were ordinances and policies that acted as roadblocks; there were disjointed systems to navigate. And in rural places like Chaves County, funding is hard to find. After running into wall after wall we thought: What if there is another way?

Roswell isn’t a big or wealthy city; it’s also physically isolated. Our housing stock is aging, and we don’t have many apartment buildings or developments. What that means is that the hundreds of families with HUD vouchers here can’t find a place to use them. We heard stories about families paying an extra $100 to apartment complexes to “jump the line” and put down a security deposit.

Knowing that the people closest to the issue most often have the solution, With Many Hands was formed. We began knocking on doors, talking to our neighbors about the rising cost of rent, and asking what should be done. We noticed that many blocks had boarded-up houses sitting empty. These houses were often owned by working-class families who rented them out before they fell into disrepair. Many didn’t need much—maybe an HVAC system or some plumbing repairs—to get them back onto the rental market.

We decided to try something out of the box. We identified four houses that needed small repairs, repairs that were out of reach for the owners but within reach of our community project. With a 40k grant, we established Rehab2Rentals, a forgivable loan pilot project. This allowed the property owners to make the repairs using local contractors and materials so a local family could move in. The property owner repays the loan over two years or chooses to pay it off by lowering the rent to the fair market value. The program is a win/win for the property owner, the renter, the neighborhood, and Roswell.

Through community organizing and listening to locals, it took us just three months to create four more affordable homes for Roswell families—a big impact in a small place. Housing New Mexico has recently awarded Rehab2Rental $500,000 to rehab 18 more Roswell homes to HUD standards over the next two years.

The lesson learned? Local folks know what needs to be done in places like Roswell and, when given the chance, can come up with solutions that will work for our hometowns. Our lawmakers, grant-makers, and those with power would do well to take a chance on regular people in local places to come up with homegrown solutions like Rehab2Rental.

Jeneva Martinez is a New Mexico native, born and raised in Roswell. She is a mother, wife, roller-skater, and homeless advocate, and is passionate about housing. She currently is the With Many Hands-Roswell Organizer. (Submitted photo)