MEET THE ALVARADOS

Three years ago, then 17-year-old Mara Alvarado came to Austin from Mexico, where all of her family still resides.  She found employment at Otis Spunkmeyer, where today she works hard leading a team of eight people who operate machines. But she still cannot afford a home of her own.  

Currently, Mara and her 4-year-old son, Leonel, live in a small apartment with no hot water. Cockroaches and rats infest the apartment and open up food packets, causing her son to become ill. Recently, burglars broke in and stole many of their more expensive belongings.

Like all mothers, Mara wants the best for her son. She does not want to keep moving and changing his daycares and schools. She wants him to be able to go outside and play on his bicycle. In the future, she dreams that he will study hard and go to college. Owning a home will help make all of this possible. When Mara found out that her home had been chosen for the blitz build, tears of excitement and gratitude streamed down her face.

At the young age of 21, Mara is very proud that she will have a home of her own, and hopes to have more children and grow old there. She is also excited to be living near other Habitat families, because a lot of them are her friends. She plans to donate a little a month to future families who are working for Habitat homes.

"When you give to someone in need, God repays you twice over," she says.

MEET THE RANDALLS

Like Mara, Rosa Randall is a single parent with a young son, and all of her family is in Mexico. Like Mara, she works hard, but cannot afford a home of her own.

"It's a cycle, you stay in the same place," she says. "You work hard and save money, but everything you make you're spending to survive. There is no way to save, no way to get out of the cycle. Habitat will help me break the cycle."

Rosa has already broken one cycle... the cycle of domestic abuse. She saw the negative impact it was having on her 8-year-old son, Eros, and realized the two of them would be better off alone.

Currently, they live together in Section 8 housing, where there is a lot of violence, drugs, and theft. Eros is afraid to leave anything outside, and frequently reminds his mother to lock the windows.

Rosa looks forward to living in an Austin Habitat home in a safe neighborhood, where her son can play outside with other children. A very bright boy, Rosa says he scores all 90's and 100's, but she wants him to get all 100's. Once she owns her home, she plans on going to school to learn more English, so she can help him with his homework. She dreams that one day he will go to college.

Eros is also very excited to live in a home- He has been counting his mother's sweat equity hours to see how close they are!