A family’s new plan

Thursday, July 29, 2010

By HATTIE BERNSTEIN

Staff Writer

MILFORD – Bob Hughes spent the better part of Friday, his 32nd birthday, packing.

It wasn’t what he had in mind six months ago when he envisioned celebrating his birthday in his new home, a duplex at 42-44 Tonella Road, that he and his family had been selected to buy with help from the Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity.

But after surveyors raised concerns about wetlands, the project, and Hughes’ dream, were put on hold.

That wasn’t the worst of it, either.

About two weeks ago, Hughes, his wife, Stephanie, and their two children, Brianna, 13, and Jordan, 10, were on the verge of homelessness.

The family had been living with Hughes’ mother-in-law, who was moving into a mobile home. Her lease was up on July 25.

The couple, who had had no permanent residence for three years, was unable to find a place to rent.

It wasn’t the first time, through no fault of their own, they were in a jam.

In 2007, just before Christmas, the family’s Hudson landlord had said he was selling the house and gave the Hugheses 30 days to get out.

They put their belongings in storage, moved into Hughes’ in-laws’ apartment in Milford, planning to save to buy a house.

Instead, they encountered more hardship: his mother-in-law lost her job; his father-in-law became seriously ill; and the couple used their savings to help with the bills.

Realizing they needed some support to get ahead, the family moved to the Ann-Marie House in Hudson, a place for families in transition that provides shelter and financial education.

The Hugheses were making progress when Hughes’ father-in-law took a turn for the worse, and the family moved back to Milford to help.

At one point, there were seven people living in the two-bedroom apartment.

During this time, Hughes, a handyman technician, signed up as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. He said it never occurred to him that he and his family would qualify for the program.

“They’re a really nice family,” said Robert Gual, a Habitat volunteer who heads up the family selection committee and qualified the Hughes family for a mortgage. “We were all set to go in April and they and the other family were so gracious; they understood it wasn’t our fault” when the project was halted.

Gual said that Habitat purchased the Milford property believing that it had zoning approval for a duplex.

“The guy who sold Habitat the land told them there was 25-foot buffer on the wetlands, and the rest was buildable,” Hughes said during a recent interview. “What we found out was that it was all wetlands, and there was no place to put a foundation, absolutely no place.”

Gual said he didn’t realize that the Hughes family’s situation was so “pressing” until he read about their plight in an article in The Telegraph recently.

“They had to be out by the end of the month. They had a deadline,” he said.

When he found out, he contacted Prolman Realty in Nashua and spoke to Mark Prolman, a colleague from the New Hampshire Charitable Association.

Prolman put Gual in touch with his property manager, who was happy to oblige.

“You’re timing is impeccable,” Gual was told. “I think I have an apartment available very soon,” the property manager said.

Hughes and his wife and children expected to sign a lease today and move into the new apartment in Hudson.

While they waited for the apartment to be ready, they put their furniture in storage and stayed with friends from Sunday to Thursday,

But first they had to pack, and there was plenty to do when Hughes arrived home from work on Friday after finishing a siding job that turned out to be more complicated than he had expected.

“They’re looking for other land, to clear it and build a foundation by spring, 2011,” he said, envisioning how the structure would be framed. “We’re next in line.”

Gual, the Habitat volunteer, had a similar picture in mind.

“We were kind of in a pickle, and this took the pressure off,” he said. “We’re looking for affordable land to put a duplex on, or a foreclosure property we can renovate. We’re on the hunt, out there looking.”

Hattie Bernstein can be reached at 673-3100, ext. 24 or hbernstein@cabinet.com.