Nurse Surprised With Giant Check From Fairfield Mortgage Office

FAIRFIELD, CT — Breaking a cycle of poverty is no easy feat.

But thanks to one kind gesture from her mortgage company, an area woman got a little help in making it happen.

Irana McNish, formerly of Norwalk and new to Derby, was surprised Aug. 24 by representatives of the Fairfield branch of Envoy Mortgage, who gave her the gift of her September mortgage for her new home.

“It felt fantastic,” said McNish, who has struggled for years to arrange financing for her own home while living in subsidized housing in Norwalk.

“I was, like, super surprised,” she said.

The act was part of the company’s Gift of Home program, which was designed to show gratitude to customers during a financially challenging time.

Envoy is an independently owned mortgage company with offices throughout the United States, headquartered in Houston, Texas.

This year the company is gifting 50 of its customers up to $150,000 in mortgage payments and tax assistances, up to $3,000 per household.

“To ensure the greatest good, Gift of Home recipients have been randomly selected from current Envoy Mortgage Department of Veterans Affairs or Federal Housing Administration loan borrowers,” a company spokesperson said, “especially those who have been giving back to their communities as military veterans, first responders, nurses, educators, and small business owners and employees.”

McNish, who recently completed school and became a full-time registered nurse, has served in nursing in various capacities for many years.

She wasn’t particularly suspicious when a company representative phoned her several weeks ago and asked her some questions. It was a surprise, however, when they showed up at her job in Stamford and provided her with an enormous check to cover her mortgage payment.

“They’re an awesome company,” McNish said, citing the work of Melissa Morgan, along with Erin and Randy, in the office. “I tell everyone to go through them and they’ll help.”

It was not easy for McNish to get where she is, however, and she wants people to understand that.

“I used to live in (subsidized) housing for, like, 15 years, and I was going to school at the same time,” she said, studying at Norwalk Community College while working several jobs.

Yet, because her salary increased as she went from being a nurse’s assistant, to a patient care technician, then a licensed practical nurse, her rent went up proportionately as well.

“People like myself who are in that situation can’t really get out,” McNish said.

“My rent went up to like $1,700, and that’s a mortgage,” she said.

She asked herself the question, “Why should I be paying the government for something I’ll never own? They don’t fix anything. People think because you’re on subsidized housing, you’ve got it good, but it’s not true.”

However, because the income her college-age children were bringing in was not part of the equation, the family was gradually able to put aside enough, along with McNish’s 401(k) from her last job.

“It took a long time to do it, but we were lucky,” she said, “and a lot of families are stuck in that situation. … Rent goes up when you make more.”

But McNish was able to break the cycle, and Envoy gave her a boost along the way.

“I live in a very nice neighborhood,” she said. “It’s quiet and it’s wonderful.”

“You can own your dream home,” she said. “It’s possible.”