Jose, Caroline, and their three daughters – Michelle, Natalie, and Melanie – have been living in their extremely small and cramped two-bedroom apartment for the past five years. The oldest daughters share a room and the youngest daughter shares a room with Jose and Caroline. Jose and Caroline long for their family to have more space. Though the family is extremely clean, they struggle with an on-going mold problem. The mold can be found in their bathroom and in their daughters’ bedroom. They have concerns about how this is affecting their daughters’ health. Their landlord does not respond to maintenance requests and several neighbors have called the city concerning his lack of a response to the maintenance issues of his tenants.
The family does not feel safe in their apartment complex. Their neighbor has a mental illness and often screams and yells obscenities at the family. Other neighbors are constantly smoking and playing loud music late into the night. Jose and Caroline do not allow their daughters to play outside. They would give anything to live in a safe, peaceful environment.
Jose and Caroline are excited about completing the 500 hours of sweat equity. They also have friends and family who will assist with the hours. Owning a Habitat home will mean so much to this family.
