A Somalian refugee family of seven has become the owners of one of Syracuse’s newest houses.

Since Isha Mberwa moved to Syracuse in 2010, she has been house-hunting in search of more space for her husband and their five children. The family stayed in cramped apartments as she weighed moving to the suburbs or settling for an old house that would require repairs.

But Mberwa always knew what she really wanted: A new house in the city of Syracuse, where she could be close to family. She and her husband Omar Mnondwa both work full-time and rely on the children’s grandmother for child care.

After years of searching, Mberwa this year got the brand new home she’d imagined.

“For me it was a dream," she said. "Up until closing, I’m thinking, ‘this is not really my house until I have the keys.’”

Construction finished at 707 First North St. in January, making the house a rarity in the city of Syracuse. It’s uncommon for a new home to be constructed here.

Officials from the non-profit Home HeadQuarters, which built the house, said Mberwa’s home is the first home that has been built in a decade in the large North Side neighborhood which sits within the boundaries of Butternut and Danforth Streets, and Lodi Street and Grant Boulevard.

According to Home HeadQuarters, which researched construction permit applications in the city to come up with estimates, only a handful of homes have been built in the city in the last 10 years, aside from construction the non-profit has been involved with.

Home HeadQuarters, working with the City of Syracuse and the Greater Syracuse Area Land Bank, spent $220,000 on demolition and construction. The organization tore down two dilapidated, boarded-up houses at 705 and 707 First North St. and rebuilt one single-family home, using funding from the New York State Attorney General’s Office and Affordable Housing Corporation.

The project began at the urging of community members.

Pat Body, the head of the neighborhood group Danforth-Pond-Butternut Task Force, recalled how she and her neighbors began focusing on the two dilapidated homes around 2013, just after advocating to get Tops to take over the grocery store situated across the street, after Wegmans moved out.

“At 707, it was this big, two-family house that had been boarded up," Body said. "Toilets had been thrown out the side window. It was a mess.”

She soon learned the house was considered a “zombie” property, abandoned during foreclosure proceedings. For years, the city couldn’t do much of anything about so-called “zombie” properties. Changes to state law in 2016 allowed city officials to seize the house.

From there, the neighborhood group worked with the city, the Land Bank and Home HeadQuarters to demolish the house and rebuild.

“Now we have this great house," Body said. "One of the things [we] learned was when you work together to continue advocating -- it works.”

Home HeadQuarters demolished the two houses in 2017 and combined the two addresses into one parcel in 2018. Ground was broken on a new foundation later that year.

Home HeadQuarters president Kerry Quaglia said he was excited about the prospect of demolishing and rebuilding properties that are “beyond rehabilitation" because of issues such as lead paint and asbestos.

“We’re really excited about this approach where we use new construction for affordable housing," Quaglia said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony today at 707 First North St.

Neighbors gathered outside the house for a news conference this afternoon, where Mberwa’s family was joined by Mayor Ben Walsh and dozens of other officials from the groups that made the house a reality.

Syeisha Byrd, who bought a home in the neighborhood through Home HeadQuarters 11 years ago, dropped by the press conference. Byrd said the properties were always an “eyesore” in the neighborhood, so it was uplifting to a watch as a new home was constructed so quickly.

“To see a new, fresh beautiful house here is amazing," Byrd said. Byrd said it was important to send a message to people living in the city that, “we too can own homes.”

That’s what Mberwa knew she wanted not long after she moved to Syracuse. She signed up for first-time homeowner education programs, offered through Home HeadQuarters and Empower Federal Credit Union, which supplied a grant to help with the cost of the house. Mberwa, who worked in human resources, and her husband, who works in Liverpool at Trinity Service Group, a food provider for correctional facilities, declined to say how much they paid for the home. Home HeadQuarters did not provide the cost either.

“Isha was one of those people who was absolutely determined,” said Karen Schroeder, chief communications officer for Home HeadQuarters. “She knew what she wanted,” Schroeder said, adding Mberwa had window drapes picked out before the family closed on the home.

Schroeder noted the family was willing to wait for the right property to become available, and showed they were able to save money over several months before the purchase.

Mberwa said she was excited about owning her own property and being more in control of her home.

Her family went from settling for apartments that were too cramped to picking out paint colors and flooring options as construction began at 707 First North St.

Most importantly, Mberwa said she was thrilled for her children, who said they couldn’t wait to get moved in and have more space to themselves. The family lives in a three-bedroom apartment now, so with the move, they’ll add a fourth bedroom and a second bathroom.

“For my kids, this is amazing, to have a place to call home," she said. “Now, we can live comfortably.”

Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers federal courts, government, education and other issues affecting taxpayers. She can be reached anytime: Email| Twitter | 315-412-1992