At home for the holidays

A new life begins with the new year

Emile Murego has patiently watched his new house go up over the summer, brick by brick, in the Eastlake Park neighborhood near downtown Phoenix. It is mostly done now except for appliances and finishing touches. It takes time to build a house, Emile knows. Five months is a short wait in comparison to the five years he's been renting.

Emile came to the United States in 2000 when war forced his family to leave their home in Congo. "It was very hard," he remembers. "We lost everything. I came here with nothing in my pockets. I came with my family, nothing else."

It was a difficult time for the Murego family. They have slowly adjusted to life in their new country, but they longed to have a home of their own again. And so Emile came to NHS Phoenix in 2004 to see if it would be possible. "I never thought it would be," says Emile. "It is like a dream for me."

Emile and his wife Mireille prepared for this day by talking to NHS Phoenix's counselors and learning all about the home buying process in Homebuyer Education and Financial Fitness classes. They are now working through the final steps of the mortgage loan process at NHS Phoenix.

Emile smiles when he sees his new home near completion. "She will be a good house for my family," he says. With five children (the eldest nine years old and the youngest not yet one) four bedrooms and two baths will suit the Muregos. Emile looks forward to the day when he can see his children playing outside again, in their own back yard, after living in an apartment for so long.

From Africa to Arizona, starting over with nothing, Emile has learned English, found a new profession, and--finally--found a good home for his family. "The day we move in," says Emile, "our new life will begin."

From the Fall 2005 issue of DoorWays
Written and photographed by Maureen Rooney