Tucson made headlines last fall as the 6th poorest large city in the United States. Our poverty rate stands at 20.4%, compared with a national poverty rate of 15.9%.

At Our Family Services, the vast majority of people we serve are living in poverty. Many are working poor, living from paycheck to paycheck. Some are living on fixed incomes. Some are homeless or near-homeless. And many are children.

Poverty is a deeply entrenched and multidimensional issue, and there are no quick or easy solutions. Our community is going to have to work together to move forward.

One good example of working together is Our Family's partnership with Habitat for Humanity Tucson, which is making the dream of homeownership possible for low-income Tucson families.

Our Family's New Beginnings division of programs helps stabilize homeless families through a variety of intensive, case-managed services and a continuum of housing options, from shelter to transitional and affordable housing. When the time is right, Habitat offers our clients the permanent housing solution of affordable self-sufficient homeownership. They do this through their self-help new home and rehabbed home products, as well as their zero-interest mortgage financing backed by long-term supportive services.

Each year, Habitat conducts orientations for Our Family's housing residents. Those who qualify can save for their down payments, pay down any debts and complete mandatory volunteer hours to build "sweat equity" as they work toward homeownership while in our program.

The latest of Our Family's clients to achieve homeownership is Selina Martinez, who moved into her new Habitat home just in time for the holidays on Dec. 15, 2012.

Selina and her three children had been staying in a shelter in Casa Grande before entering our transitional housing in May 2010. She worked hard to become financially stable, getting a better-paying full-time job in insurance claims and billing. Working with our case managers, she planned and stuck to a budget, paid off her debts, and opened a savings account. As she achieved greater independence, she and her family transitioned into affordable housing while their new home was being built.

From her first days with us, Selina has said she wanted to own her own home but didn't know if it was possible. As she and her family moved in, she thanked us for showing her how to get there.

We're proud of Selina, and thankful for our partnership with Habitat. We believe the work we do to help families from homelessness to homeownership is good not just for the families we serve but for the common good of the community.