Meet Nahnalah

Before moving to El Rancho Del Sol, where she has been a resident for three years, Nahnalah was temporarily living with family. As a mom, her primary goal was to secure housing for herself and her child as soon as possible. She discovered El Rancho Del Sol through a close friend, who is still a resident. Nahnalah immediately fell in love with the building’s open floor plans, design, and location. To speed up securing an apartment, she worked overtime and took on another job, allowing her to reach her goal more quickly and move in within her desired timeframe.

Nahnalah feels fortunate for everything El Rancho Del Sol offers—beyond just a place to live. As an afterschool art teacher with the on-site resident services provider, Cultural Coalition, she enjoys connecting with her neighbors and community. She shared that whenever someone in the apartment community faces a difficult time, everyone comes together to help—whether it’s preparing meals, taking out the trash, or just checking in. The entire community always goes the extra mile.

Nahnalah’s oldest daughter participates in the afterschool programming offered by Cultural Coalition and enjoys making art with her friends. El Rancho Del Sol also provides community garden beds, and Local First Arizona, another resident services provider, offers gardening and cooking programs. Nahnalah has loved learning more about cooking during her time here and enjoys interacting and learning from the children in her afterschool classes.

Twice a month, the community provides an open food pantry, which Nahnalah finds invaluable, both for herself and the children in the program, as well as their families. This allows residents to bring home the food and supplies that they need. In addition to the pantry, she is grateful for the overall support she receives from the on-site services, and the affordable electricity bills, made possible by the building’s solar panels. Looking ahead, Nahnalah is excited to continue her journey with nonprofit organizations, especially Cultural Coalition. She hopes to keep working with kids and may even pursue early childhood development studies in the future.