The Martinez-Magallanes Family
Esther Magallanes was a single mother of two when she met Alfredo Martinez. He took her children as his own and they had three other children together. Prior to becoming Habitat Homeowners, the family lived in a four bedroom apartment, too small for the seven person family, that was located in an unsafe environment. There were problems with drugs at the nearby park and they could smell marijuana throughout their apartment. The family was even relocated once because of contamination in the building.
Esther and Alfredo applied to become homeowners in 2007 and were denied because their income was below the minimum required amount. In 2008 they took another shot, applied, and were approved.
Throughout their Habitat experience they learned the importance of financial management, home maintenance & more. Working with Habitat gave them the opportunity to meet and interact with volunteers and other homeowners. Their house is the only 5 bedroom home that Greeley Habitat has built.
"We can appreciate our house because we helped build it from the ground up. Having a house gives us security and space for our children to play. The children are doing better in school and Esther is going to college to study Early Childhood Education," says Alfredo.
