Prior to moving into their Habitat home, Pastor, Lucia, Brenda (12) and Christian (8) lived in an extremely small two-bedroom apartment for seven years. The children shared a bedroom and were in need of their own space to grow and thrive. The apartment was in disrepair and maintenance requests went ignored by the complex manager. The family did their best to repair items, and to keep their apartment in pristine condition.
The family’s apartment was directly next to a community park where gang members congregate. Drive-by-shootings and other dangerous activity were a mainstay. The family longed to live in a safe neighborhood where their children can play outside without fear.
Pastor works at a Scripps research facility and Lucia is a house cleaner. They work very hard, but because of their low-wage jobs, owning a home without a hand up was beyond their reach. The children love school, and Brenda is a current candidate for the prestigious Preuss School at UCSD.
Pastor and Lucia worked on their sweat equity in the ReStore, as their home was built by professional builders – in five days – during the 2014 Home Builders Blitz. They moved into their home in July, 2015, and are so excited to begin their new life.
