“I know that a few people that I've met in the program will be lifelong friends, hopefully neighbors. We still just speak every day, we make plans, go to church together. Like all of us, we're just supposed to be in this. This time was perfect for all of us.”
For almost a decade, Desirae Flores has worked in Human Resources for a local company that provides services for adults with behavioral disabilities. She is also responsible for medical training, orientations and things that help her staff better serve their clients. Born and raised in Tucson into a big and close family, she describes her own family of three young children as super funny, outgoing, and passionate.
Desirae describes a childhood marked by instability due to both parents’ struggles with drug addiction, resulting in being raised by various relatives, primarily an aunt and grandmother.
“I’m grateful that CPS didn’t get involved. Because then I wouldn’t probably be with the family that I am, and so close,” says Desirae.
Moving between different homes, she never had a steady environment or even a room to call her own but feels fortunate to have remained close to family without outside intervention.
Desirae shares the emotional journey of trying to secure stable housing. Initially, she was approved for a home loan, but the approval was revoked when temporary COVID-related funds from her job couldn’t be counted as income. This setback left her devastated, but her strong faith encouraged her to keep looking for other opportunities. She then remembered a friend mentioned the Habitat for Humanity program, so she repeatedly checked for openings. Finally, she was able to apply, and during her daughter’s birthday weekend, she received a call informing her that she had been accepted. Overwhelmed with joy, she said, “Our life changed in that moment.”
One of the ways it has changed is because of all the people she’s interacted with along her journey.
“I know that a few people that I’ve met in the program will be lifelong friends, hopefully neighbors. We still just speak every day, we make plans, go to church together. Like all of us, were just supposed to be in this. This time was perfect for all of us.”
Desirae describes the challenges of living in a neighborhood troubled by homelessness and crime. In her apartment, close to an alley, her children’s bikes have been stolen multiple times, and someone even cut through the fence. While management made minimal repairs, it didn’t address her feelings of violation. The area is often unsettling, with frequent foot traffic, gunshots, and theft. One instance occurred while she and her kids were at home, when she witnessed a woman rifling through her car in broad daylight. This left her feeling constantly on edge and worried for her family’s safety.
“It’s important for all of us – and for me – to have something for them that they always come home to, that they know is theirs – and we don’t have to move. For me, stability is so important, and I never had that. I will make it happen for you know, whatever I have to do.”
She values being someone her family can rely on, not just for her own children but for other relatives in need. After completing her sweat equity hours in record time, Desirae is among the first families in her program to know which house will be theirs. She has taken her children to the build site, where they eagerly anticipate their new home and a brighter future. For Desirae and her family, this house represents more than just walls and a roof.
“It means love. It means, like everything, I never had. For my kids, it means everything.”