“It’s been a journey — an incredible journey,” said Martha Escarcega. “God called us to come.”
Martha and her daughter, Brianna, have overcome great challenges, including the loss of her 9-year-old son who was lost in a car accident at the fault of a drunk driver.
The resilient duo currently lives in a neighborhood riddled with drug use and crime, but is eager to start anew in a place where they can start fresh and fill with love.
It was at work at a local hospital where she works seven days a week, that Martha heard about Habitat for Humanity Tucson. And it was there that she found out she had been selected for the program.
“God told me this is a sign,” she said, remembering when her coworker, who is a Habitat homeowner, told her about the program. They both started jumping up and down and weeping with joy upon finding out she was accepted for a Habitat home.
“It was just exciting!” she said. “This is for real. You can become a homeowner.”
Martha and Brianna look forward enjoying the joys of homeownership, which include more space for get-togethers and cookouts.
Brianna is especially excited for her new, bigger room where she can have friends over for sleepovers. The 13-year-old also added that she believes that the new home will provide her opportunities to do well in school, as it will be an environment more conducive to concentration and success. She hopes to one day become a radiologist.
“Home is a place where you can relax and be close to friends and family,” said Brianna.
Both Martha and Brianna take pride in their successes and knowledge that they soon will be living in a residence that they very literally built from the ground up.