Christa is a single mom living in Carlsbad with her three year old son, Kellan. Though her apartment complex is not old, it has a reputation for having problems with mold. Although the Christa keeps her house in immaculate condition, she has found mold growing on her belts, purses and on her young son’s shoes. Mold also grows consistently around her and her son’s window frame and she has to clean the windows at least once a week with a bleach solution to remove the mold. Before she moved in, extensive mold removal had to be done to her apartment and her apartment walls are covered with patches of where the mold was removed, but not properly repainted. Her bathroom sink and cabinet were removed before she moved in due to the mold and the new cabinet is not flush against the floor. Due to this, the applicant has a problem with cockroaches. Christa has been concerned about the effect of the mold on the air quality, especially as she has a young child. The repair man who she requested to visit her home dismissed her concerns and offered no solution to the mold problem.
There are many units in the apartment complex and Christa does not feel safe walking to her apartment late at night after work. She has had strangers knock on her door late at night. Although the complex does have a play area for children, she does not feel comfortable allowing her son to play there because there is often trash and graffiti – the kids are much older and loiter around the play area, and his toys get stolen when he does play there. To remedy this, Christa takes her son to the botanical gardens and to a nearby park in Carlsbad.
Christa currently waitresses at a local north county restaurant and has recently returned to school and is working towards her BA in Human Development. She would like to pursue a career in either health care or social services.
Christa has many friends in Carlsbad who would be willing to support her in her sweat equity requirement by working on the site or by watching her son. She was attracted to the Carlsbad project because she likes the idea of living in a smaller community where she will feel safe to raise her son and provide him a secure and constant environment. When Christa was growing up, her family moved from rental to rental and she never felt grounded. She doesn’t want her son to have the same experience.
