Home is the key to a brighter future
For Araceli and her husband, Ernesto, the dream of homeownership is something they always believed would be just that: a dream.
They watched the cost of rent skyrocket, with no end in sight. Being able to afford a mortgage seemed out of the question.
They knew families in their area who were forced to share a small apartment to cover the cost of housing. Although Araceli and Ernesto had their own apartment, their three children — Emely, Aaron and Breysi — shared a room. “My kids didn’t have any privacy or space for themselves,” says Araceli.
In many ways, she and Ernesto felt lucky to hold down an apartment as they watched families around them be evicted regularly when they could no longer cover the escalating rent. Araceli always worried they could be next. So, when she heard about Habitat, she wanted to learn more.
She would have been happy to own a home anywhere, but Araceli discovered that her local Habitat would soon begin building in the community they loved, close to the children’s school. She waited to apply until that project was underway. When they were approved, Araceli felt a weight lifted. “I thank God I have a future, a future for my children,” says Araceli.
Becoming homeowners and paying an affordable mortgage is a dream come true for Araceli and Ernesto — and their children. “I love playing in the park,” says Aaron. His older sister, Emely, is excited to finally have a space of her own where she can have friends over and practice her viola. “I never had my own room before,” she says.
Araceli is excited to finally have a place she can decorate and make comfortable for her family. “We have a lot of love in this home, celebrating birthdays, holidays, Christmas,” she says. “What I’m most thankful for is that now my family has a place to be together.”
