Habitat for Humanity builds strength, stability, and self-reliance for families across California. Get to know some of the families who have been impacted by our work.
Homeowner Story
/ Habitat for Humanity of Orange County
January 15, 2020
For many years, Luis and his mom Carla shared a bedroom in a tiny apartment. The apartment was too small and Luis wished for his own room – someplace where he could read or study. Carla began saving to buy a home, but soon realized she wasn’t going to be able to afford a home in Orange County on her budget. After searching for help, she came across the Habitat for Humanity of Orange County program. She applied and was selected to purchase a two-bedroom home in Placentia. On December...
Through the Habitat Hand-Up Home Repair program, Habitat for Humanity Orange County was able to help U.S. Army veteran Jim Torres and his wife with necessary repairs to their home. “You will see vets who are embarrassed about where they are living,” says Jim, who works with disabled veterans. “Habitat comes in and takes them from their chin on their chest to their head held high. The first time I saw that I said, ‘I’ve got to keep sending people there.’” Today, Jim, a disabled veteran himself, is the one...
Reyneil is a proud veteran, who served in the U.S. Navy for four years. He received many accolades and awards for his exemplary service and dedication. After serving our Country, Reyneil went on to further his education using his GI Bill educational benefits to improve his life and redefine his vocation and future path. Reyneil’s life is centered on his children, and when he talks about them, his pride and devotion are apparent. His 13-year old daughter, Jordan, is a very involved 8th grade student, who serves on the ASB...
Jonathan, his wife Sarah, and their three children, baby Adrian, Arianna (8), and Jonathan Jr. (9) have lived in a two-bedroom rental apartment in Chula Vista for the past three years. Arianna and Jonathan, Jr. share a bedroom in the small apartment. Health, safety, and maintenance issues go unaddressed by the landlord. There are no safe spaces for the children to play outside. Jonathan proudly served in the United States Marine Corps for four years, participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom and earning a variety of medals, ribbons, badges, certificates, and...
The Wirth family is a local Sacramento Veteran family. Mark Wirth served 6-years in the U.S. Air Force. He and Emily grew up in poverty with parents who suffered from addiction issues. They were the first in their families to graduate from High School and are both working towards their nursing degrees while raising their two children – 7-year old Natalie and 3-year old Troy. They are currently living in an overpriced rental home and paying over 50% of their gross income on rent alone (over the past few years...
California, Homeowner Story
/ Habitat for Humanity Tuolumne County
August 7, 2018
My name is Tracy Owens and I’m a single mother of an 11 year old boy, named Cody. I am a very proud recipient of a home from Habitat for Humanity. I will never be able to express my gratitude for this priceless gift of a new, safe and beautiful home. At age 35 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I went through a double mastectomy a total hysterectomy, reconstruction and 39 sessions of radiation. As I was going through this, 3 months prior to my diagnosis, my Dad was...
California, Homeowner Story
/ Habitat for Humanity Sonoma County
June 18, 2018
Jasmine Palmer “…learned to be a responsible adult” later in life. “I got myself into a lot of trouble…lived like an adolescent teenager for a long time…I was an addict…” she said bluntly but with a confident acceptance of the past. “I kept getting arrested….” When her daughters were four and seven she was jailed for six months and then entered a residential rehabilitation program for another six months. Her mother took care of her girls that year. When she was released, she moved in with her mother and her...
Mulikatu and Abdul Aremu-Bello came to the United States from Ghana hoping to find a better place to start and raise a family. Instead, they landed in a series of cramped apartments in Oakland, each in a congested and high-crime area. For the past eight years, they’ve lived in an apartment complex on a busy street in East Oakland, where their six-year old twins are not allowed to leave the apartment compound to play. Outside is crowded, noisy, with gunfire being a regular occurrence. Police are “all over the place.”...
Luis Alberto Mendoza Barajas & Marisela Lopez Rios have long dreamed of giving their two daughters a safe, decent home and are working hard to make that dream a reality. Today they live in an apartment with mold, electrical issues, pests, and other safety concerns. Until they found Habitat for Humanity, they were unable to find an affordable alternative for their family. Because of their limited savings, no realtor would work with them to find a home on the open market, and rental housing in Contra Costa County has become...
In December of 2014, Albertano Campuzano and his family were one of twelve families to move into an affordable Habitat home on Canon Perdido Street in Santa Barbara. Now, two and a half years later, the Campuzanos are reaping the benefits of having a safe and affordable place to live, leading a life that seemed impossible before they partnered with Habitat. Before being accepted as Habitat homeowners, the Campuzanos (Albertano, his wife Maria, and their children Andrew and Michelle) lived in a small, two room apartment in Goleta. While they...
