desertvista

As a 7th grade teacher at Mansfield Middle School for the past thirteen years, Elizabeth is no stranger to hard work, patience, and resilience. But Elizabeth, Cesar, and their four teenaged children Jailene, Jazelle, Gizelle, and Cesar Jr. have been renting a cramped house for the past six years. Everyone’s squeezed in tight. Privacy? Forget it! Not only is the house filled well beyond capacity, but also has flooring issues and a leak in the roof causing summertime mold. And in the winter, poor insulation led to huge heating bills.

Being accepted into the Habitat homeownership program this year has been life-changing.

Fatu came from Liberia to Tucson as a refugee eleven years ago.

Everything she does is to provide her children with a better life.

Growing up Richard moved over 20 times with his family. But he wanted something else for his children. Richard had known about Habitat for Humanity a long time and had even volunteered for Habitat in the past, but applying to own a Habitat home had never occurred to him. Look Mom, my friends!’ All these kids are going to grow up together and that’s what Habitat is.”