Brenda Vargas lost a huge part of her family with the death of her husband and father to their five children just over two years ago. The tragedy left the family with sadness, but also gave them determination to fulfill a dream — the dream of homeownership.
“That’s what he would’ve wanted,” said Brenda. “He and I had that dream since the day we had our first child.”
The Tucson-native and widow says she used to see Habitat advertisements around town, but never considered it as a possibility for her and her family.
Later, her supervisor at work talked about Habitat’s homeownership program.
“Home means a future,” said Brenda, who explained that she thought she was dreaming when she found out that her family had been selected for a Habitat home.
Brenda and her family are looking forward to having a place they can decorate, make memories and make their own. Her children are excited for the freedoms of having their own rooms — a dramatic change for the large family that currently share a two-bedroom apartment.
“We’re really grateful,” said Brenda’s eldest daughter Lilian. “Our home will be somewhere that we can all come together.”
Brenda Vargas believes she’s gained the support and friendship of her neighbors through their communal efforts to build homes.
“I like the construction,” she said of her volunteer experience. “I never thought I’d being doing it.”
Now, Brenda is well on her way to completing her ‘sweat equity’ hours. All the while, she starts her workdays at 3:45 a.m. at the University of Arizona doing custodial work while raising her five children.
Update
Recently, Brenda Vargas was selected to receive the Women Build house.
Brenda is thankful for the volunteers who work to make the dream of home ownership a reality for her family.
More about Women Build
Women Build empowers women to build opportunities for affordable home ownership in Tucson. Women Build does not exclude men – it empowers women. Find out more.