For Maribel, a dedicated mother and library assistant, family is everything. Her home is filled with the energy and dreams of four teenagers: her son, Aziel, her daughter, Alexzia, and two girls she lovingly calls her nieces, Yaritssa and Yennessa. What began as a temporary stay for the girls turned into a permanent, life-changing commitment.
“They initially were only going to be staying a few months, but it actually ended up being a permanency,” Maribel shared. “So that’s interesting navigating cause there’s four teenagers and just me.”
This new, larger family dynamic revealed the pressing need for a safe, stable, and spacious home. Their current rental is severely overcrowded, forcing Maribel to sacrifice her own privacy and space for the sake of the children.
“I knew we didn’t have the space. I sleep in the living room with absolutely no privacy, which I never realized how much I needed,” she explained. The challenges extend beyond space. “In the winters, it just gets really cold because the heater doesn’t work and our landlord won’t fix it. We have to take care of any type of maintenance.”
This instability reached a crisis point when a storm caused a tree to fall on her car—a costly repair she, as a renter, shouldn’t have been responsible for. As a school employee with a variable income, these unexpected burdens were heavy to bear. Driven by a desire to provide security for her children, Maribel found a beacon of hope through Emerge Center, which connected her with Habitat for Humanity Tucson’s Homeownership Program.
To her joyful surprise, her family was selected for the Homeownership Program on their first try. “I’m so grateful for Habitat,” Maribel said. “I think that it’s going to be a life-changing experience for us.”
The experience has been transformative already. Maribel has embraced the sweat equity hours, learning skills she never imagined through Habitat for Humanity Tucson’s Homeownership Program. Her enthusiasm is infectious, especially for her 15-year-old son, Aziel. He’s joined her in her sweat equity. “He loved it. He even says, ‘Mom, this is something I’m going to be here forever.’ He even wants to apply to Habitat when he gets older,” Maribel beamed. The program has also been a powerful tool for teaching her children and nieces the value of giving back and breaking negative cycles.
“I try to teach my kids to break cycles and how to be better and make changes, especially generational changes,” she said. This lesson is taking root. After initially needing encouragement, the teenagers now ask, “Are we going to go do Habitat?” during their breaks.
So, what is Maribel most looking forward to on the day she receives the keys to her new Habitat Tucson home? For a mother who puts her children first in everything, the answer is simple.
“I think what I’m looking forward to the most is seeing my kids’ faces,” she said emotionally. “That’s what I want to capture… Really, it’s all for them.”
Through partnership, hard work, and an unwavering belief in family, Maribel and her children are building more than just a house—they are building a foundation of love, unity, and a brighter future, together.
Like Maribel, your family can benefit from the Habitat for Humanity Tucson’s Homeownership Program. Learn more about how it works here.