Hooksett mom gets house repair assistance

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:17:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

Jeannette Valliere bought her small, modest home at 5 Hunt St. in Hooksett in 2003.

A single mom with three kids, she had no idea what being a homeowner entailed until she went though homeowner’s education classes at NeighborWorks Greater Manchester.

With financial help from the United States Department of Agriculture and advice from Neighbor- Works, Valliere, 31, was able to purchase the home for $150,000 and move in with her three sons.

“It’s like a library for how to buy a home,” Valliere said of NeighborWorks.

However, while inexpensive, readily available and structurally sound, the house was a far cry from what Valliere saw herself raising her family in.

She began renovating the home a few years ago, doing much of the work herself and with help from her family and friends.

Her uncle, 48-year-old Emole Krajewski, who was particularly instrumental in fixing the place up, died of a heart attack in October in Valliere’s garage while working on the improvements. “The progress stopped completely,” said Valliere.

After checking back in with Valliere, NeighborWorks decided to celebrate National Home Ownership Month by speeding up the renovation process with some extra hands and donated materials from Home Depot.

On June 20, the crew showed up ready to work, hanging vinyl siding on the home and landscaping. “This is just a work day to get as much done as we can,” said Robert Tourigny, Executive Director of NeighborWorks Greater Manchester.

NeighborWorks Greater Manchester, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Home Depot teamed up with town officials and community members in celebration of National Home Ownership Month (June) to help the young, single mom improve her home.

Hooksett Town Administrator David Jodoin, Town Council Chairman Paul Loiselle and state Rep. Eileen Ehlers were among those who showed up to help, along with NeighborWorks, HUD and USDA employees.

“Typically, we’re just the bank, and we don’t get to go out and do a lot of stuff,” said Gregory Carson, director of the Manchester HUD office. “This is an opportunity for myself and some of our staff to get out and get our hands dirty,” he said.

Carson said the improvements to the house, which include a stone front, siding and a planned landscape, will help to raise property values in the neighborhood and should encourage others on the street to consider fixing up their homes.

“I think it’s great that we’re here to help a single mother get some work done,” said NeighborWorks employee Kira Eisenzopf.

Valliere said she hopes to have her home completely transformed by the end of summer, adding she wouldn’t have reached this point without the help of the cooperating agencies. “This is great. I really appreciate everybody who got involved,” she said.

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Hooksett mom gets house repair assistance