CHANGE LIVES Blog | Austin Habitat for Humanity Blog

This Saturday, Maria Washington, our very first homeowner who helped build her home 25 years ago, made the final payment on her no-interest mortgage and burnt her mortgage papers.The special event was part of a three house dedication ceremony in the Meadow Lake neighborhood.

Before purchasing the first Austin Habitat home in 1987, Maria Washington had been living in a two bedroom rental property with her five children, her grandchild, her sister, and her sister’s two daughters. As the only male in the family, her son Andrew slept on a screened in porch, and suffered from terrible allergies, as a result. The strange odor of the house, the rats scurrying around, and the sirens passing by kept the entire family awake at night.

“Once we got in a Habitat house, we finally felt at home,” Maria says. “My children seemed to sail after that- they became A/B students, and got involved in sports and activities. They were proud to have friends over to the house. Our family grew much closer together.”

Today, Maria’s kids are excelling. Lolita is a social worker taking classes toward her PhD, Mishwna has her master’s degree in special education, Adreana has her associate’s degree and is an Austin Police Department patrol officer, and Elizabeth graduated with dual degrees in economics and Spanish and is currently pursuing a master’s in nursing at UT. Andrew is a graduate of Regan High with a career as a truck driver that allows him to live his dream of traveling around the country.

The special dedication ceremony celebrated not only the journey of Maria Washington, but also the journeys of the Huerta, Arellano, and Mayorga families, who finally achieved their dream of homeownership thanks to the generous support of the Austin community. The three families will be neighbors in the Meadow Lake neighborhood in southeast Austin, where Austin Habitat will eventually build 25 units of affordable housing. Austin Habitat was able to purchase land in the desirable community with Affordable Housing General Obligation Bonds awarded by the City of Austin and its Austin Housing and Finance Corporation.

The three new homes were sponsored by Reytex Homes, Habitat Young Professionals (HYP), Samsung, and the Austin Habitat Board of Directors. Over the past few months, hundreds of Reytex and Samsung employees, area young professionals, board members and friends have worked hand in hand with future Austin Habitat homeowners to build the homes.

See more pictures on flickr.

This past Saturday, we dedicated the Guedes family home at 7309 Thanna’s Way in the Meadowlake neighborhood. The “Eagle Home” was sponsored and built by area Boy Scouts as part of their 100^th anniversary celebration.

Dozens of Scouts and their leaders, as well as Mayor Lee Leffingwell and state Senator Kirk Watson were on hand to welcome the Guedes family to the home. As an introduction to the ceremony, attendees held miniature US flags as a Scout band played “The Star Spangled Banner.” Later, all of the Boy Scouts who participated in the build were awarded with special patches. Finally, the family was presented with the keys to their new home.

The homeowners, Henry Guedes and his wife Maylin, moved to the United States from Cuba five years ago with the hope of finding better opportunities for their daughter Yahiris, who is now 8. While they found jobs here in Austin, they still could not afford to purchase their own home. They had no choice but to live in a one-bedroom apartment in a complex where crime was frequent and apartment maintenance was scarce.

At the dedication, Guedes thanked the Boy Scout volunteers “for helping turn our dreams into a reality.”

Senator Watson also thanked the Scouts at the ceremony, saying, “You’ve put your sweat into something that I hope you will take with you the rest of your life….to recognize that service is so important.”

See pictures from the dedication on flickr!!

This past Saturday, a group of 80 graduate students from the UT McCombs School of Business volunteered for Austin Habitat. They helped build four homes on Thanna’s Way in the Meadowlake neighborhood.

The students were all first-year MBA students, and according to Dirk Hallen, second-year MBA student and member of the McCombs Orientation Committee, they are just learning about working in teams. Most volunteering experiences aren’t team oriented, he says, and it is important to have activities where students can learn to work together. At Austin Habitat, students are able to work closely together in small groups.

The Orientation Committee also chose to volunteer with Austin Habitat because it’s very easy for the students to connect the work being done with how it benefits the community.

“We  already have a relationship with Austin Habitat, but hopefully we can build on that relationship so that year after year our students can come help, and learn about teamwork and how they directly affect other lives,” Hallen says.

We are so grateful for the support of the McCombs School of Business , and look forward to partnering with them again in the future!

Photos by Katie Saunders

This past Saturday, at 3 PM, we dedicated two new homes in the Devonshire neighborhood!

Benjamin and Leticia Lazaro are the proud new homeowners of 6105 Devonshire Cove. They have three daughters and one son:  Jennifer (13), Stephanie (11),Vanessa (8), and Benjamin Jr. (3).  They have always worked hard to provide their children with all they need to be well adjusted and successful.

However, despite all of their hard work, they were not able to afford to purchase their own home. Before Austin Habitat, the family lived in a crowded trailer. They are very grateful to their anonymous donor family, who provided the funding to make their dreams possible.

Joanna Sentena is the proud new homeowner of 2408 Devonshire Dr. Her house was generously sponsored by Austin Energy.

Joanna has three children: Clarissa (14), David (10), and Margarita (3). Her son still remembers the rodents they found in a box of brownie mix when they lived in Section 8 housing. Since then, they have moved three times in three years. Joanna says she’s looking forward to “feeling that comfort zone, that I belong, that my kids are going to have something.”

Congratulations to the Lazaro and Sentena families, and thank you to all of the donors and volunteers who made their homes possible!

Bill Aguayo is one of our beloved “regular” volunteers, who has been building with us for five years. Recently, he was featured in an article in Austin Monthly. The article describes a day in the life of a regular Austin Habitat volunteer!

Here is an excerpt from the article:

“Some of the volunteers are also working toward the 400 hours of “sweat equity” Habitat requires of homeowners before moving into their houses. One time a lady named Sarah, who was just starting her 400 hours, was assigned to work with me. She said she was overwhelmed because she didn’t even know what a hammer was. About seven months later, I went to the opening of a new subdivision and I heard, “Bill! Bill!” It was Sarah. She was thrilled because we were starting her house. That’s what I enjoy about Habitat—being part of someone’s dream.”

Click here to read the full article: Bill Aguayo Featured in Austin Monthly

A HUGE thank you to all of our regular volunteers for all that you do! We depend on you coming out week after week to help us build homes for families in need!!

Last Wednesday, we dedicated the homes of Michelle Moore and Torronda Neal in the Briarcreek neighborhood!

Michelle Moore’s house was sponsored by Pulte homes, one of the  nation’s largest new home builders.  Pulte has shown a commitment to providing affordable housing in our community. They have sponsored nine Austin Habitat homes, and have been a much valued partner!

Torronda Neal’s house was sponsored by the Fund for Humanity. This means that her house was paid for with the mortgage payments of our current homeowners! By making their monthly mortgage payments, our homeowners help more low-income families in need.

Michelle Moore’s house is located at 18417 Little Sky Drive. She will live her mother, Ruth, her 19 year old son Robert, her 16 year old son Brandon, her 14 year old daughter Amber, and her 17 year old cousin Nathanial.

Torronda Neal’s house is located at 18525 Great Falls Drive.  She will live her 8 year old son Allen and her 13 year old cousin Yvette.

See our flickr site for additional pictures!!

On June 26^th, we raised the walls on Monica Martinez’s house at 7401 Thanna’s Way.

Monica Martinez is a single mother of three and the caretaker for her nephew with special needs. Currently, her family lives in a dangerous neighborhood on a busy street, and there’s nowhere for her kids to play. Monica looks forward to living in a safe neighborhood and getting to know her neighbors. She grew up in section 8 housing, and will be the first in her family to own her own home.

On July 17^th, we raised the walls on Dorothy Bonner’s house at 7307 Thanna’s Way.

Dorothy Bonner currently lives in her father’s house, where 7 people share 2 bedrooms. The children are getting older, and the family is tired of moving and sharing space. Dorothy’s kids are already planning how they will decorate their rooms and who they will invite over to their new Austin Habitat home. Dorothy says that she wants them to always feel “comfortable, stable, and sheltered.”

Despite the heat, our volunteers have been out on site helping Monica and Dorothy make their dreams come true!!!

Photos by Katie Saunders

As a Team Habitat sponsor, Polycom, Inc. recently contributed funding and volunteers to help build a home for a family in need.

Polycom, Inc. is a company that provides telepresence, video, and voice solutions and services, allowing people to connect and collaborate from their desktops, meeting rooms, class rooms, and mobile settings. On Friday, a group of volunteers from several different branches of the company were able to connect  in a different way:  by volunteering on a home at 6105 Devonshire Cove!  Clad in matching red t-shirts, they had a great time working alongside one another and the homeowner family, who was very appreciative of their help.

“Polycom is an international company—we affect peoples’ lives worldwide,” said Bob Baughman, Vice President of Product Management. “But it’s important to all of us to make a difference in our own community—we want to change lives where we live.  That’s why we help Austin Habitat.”

Photos by Katie Saunders

As a beneficiary of the Collegiate Players Tour, sponsored by State Farm, Austin Habitat will receive $20,000 to use in their mission of providing affordable housing!

State Farm has been among our biggest supporters throughout our 25 year history. This winter, they will sponsor yet another house with KVUE-TV for the “Home for the Holidays” blitz build. We are grateful for their financial support and the many hardworking volunteers they provide!

State Farm is also one of four national sponsors of the Collegiate Players Tour, which is designed to provide summer golf competition for college-age men and women. Profits from the tour are donated to non-profit organizations, such as Austin Habitat.

The Tour played the CPT/Flintrock Falls Collegiate Open this week at Flintrock Falls Golf Course, Lakeway, TX . The Women’s yardage was 6,147 with a par 72, the Men’s yardage was 6864 with a par 72. To see results, click here.