Tight-knit border community makes homeownership possible for its neighbors
A Patagonia nonprofit is using federal grant money to create more affordable housing for residents
FUNDING SOURCE
American rescue plan act
partner organization
local first arizona
Patagonia, a rural Arizona town in the Sonoran desert just a short drive from the Mexican border, is known worldwide for the hundreds of bird and butterfly species that live and migrate through its creeks and canyons.
Tourists and campers are drawn year-round to the area’s beauty, depending on a workforce of local residents to supply their needs.
Over the years, however, local families have been forced to leave the community as housing prices have risen, making monthly expenses out of reach.
Tod C. Bowden, a Patagonia resident of 32 years and board president of the nonprofit Community Homes of Patagonia (CHOP), is hoping to change that.
“There’s a dearth of housing in the area. And what is available is expensive or there is a lot of rehab to do,” Bowden said. “Everybody in the community deserves an opportunity, if they want to be here and contribute and thrive here, to have decent, safe affordable housing. It’s been an issue for the town.”
Bowden and community volunteers have rallied together to raise funds and coordinate people-power to upgrade homes in disrepair.
In a town of fewer than 1,000 people, Bowden said volunteers wanted to help whoever wanted to live in Patagonia to stay in Patagonia.
A $25,000 grant they received as part of the federal American Rescue Plan Act, has helped fund the nonprofit’s cadre of hardworking volunteers in that effort.
Prior to receiving the federal funding, CHOP completed an average of two to four home repair projects a year. In 2023, with the help of the grant, they’ll complete seven.
Local First Arizona, a non-profit that offers resources and support to small businesses and organizations across the state, provided free grant writing assistance to CHOP to secure the funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.
“Local First Arizona is such a fantastic resource,” Bowden said. “There are resources out there and people who want to help. It’s just putting in the time and effort to make those connections.”
Volunteers at CHOP put the opportunity directly to work, creating jobs and increasing their impact.
Part of the funding went to hire the organization’s first employee, Elvia Gallaher, a lifelong Patagonia resident who helps facilitate CHOP’s programming.
The other part of the grant went to expanding the repair program to more homes and introducing a homebuyer education class available to all residents of Santa Cruz County.
“Many of these families have lived in this community for 30-plus years, but a life-changing event happened that made their home repair a true hardship,” Gallaher said. “One of my favorite things is to get the feedback from homeowners after the repairs are done.”
One homeowner told the organization that the home repairs “boosted” their self-esteem. Another called the experience “life-changing,” while another said the support made them feel like the volunteer work they had previously done in the community had “come full circle,” adding they were inspired to “pay it forward.”
“It’s been transformational, really,” Gallaher said. “Many of our homeowners are motivated to continue with their home repairs.”
CHOP approves home repair applications primarily for homeowners who live at or below the federal poverty line.
The organization works in tandem with another nonprofit — Rebuilding Together — to share labor and materials costs. While some projects are small, such as constructing a porch staircase or sprucing up landscaping, other projects are considerable undertakings.
At one home, CHOP and Rebuilding Together replaced a hazardous water heater and rusted water pipes, connected interior plumbing to the sewer line, snaked the home’s drains and installed a handicap-accessible toilet. At another, the team repaired a roof, replaced a kitchen subfloor with vinyl flooring, replaced a kitchen countertop, rewired the washer and dryer and added a new shower, flooring and a vanity to the bathroom.
The homebuyer education program aims to reach new residents across the county.
“There’s probably a little more need than we’re able to meet,” Bowden said of the expanded home repair program. “When it comes to homebuyer education, it’s such a new program, we’re in the process of presenting them and getting the word out. In another year or two, we’ll know the full need.”
Even as a start-up program, participants are finding the homebuyer education classes valuable. Those who have participated have said they now understand the homebuying process better, know the financial requirements and are working towards establishing better credit.
As an added benefit, CHOP is qualified to assist residents with obtaining loans designed specifically for low and very low-income households in rural communities. Instead of working with a loan officer hundreds of miles away, Santa Cruz homebuyers can now receive assistance from people they know and might chat with while at the post office or the trading post.
“It’s a pretty amazing place,” Gallaher said of Patagonia. “It’s one of those places that I feel like most people who come don’t get tired of living here. The scenery, the people…we’re very eclectic. I think that’s what makes it very special. And, I feel like there truly is a true sense of community.”
The American Rescue Plan Act was a stimulus package passed by the 117th U.S. Congress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was signed into law in March of 2021 by President Joe Biden to aid in the country’s economic recovery.
