 A beachfront address typically conjures up images of living in paradise. But for Vernon and Harrine Ceno, living in a tent on the beach for three years with their six children was no dreamland. Instead, it was a  nightmare that meant they had to haul water from and bathe at a nearby public park because they could not afford the high cost of housing. In time, they moved to transitional housing, then to a small house. In July 1999, they became Habitat homeowners. “Now my kids have a home,” says Vernon. “They will always have a roof over their heads.”
—With the stability of a home of their own, the Cenos are now able to provide a home for their children and a grandson. |
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 Luis and Juana Castañeda and their four children lived in Dana Strand, a public housing project in Los Angeles. Bullet holes marked the family’s front door. Gang activity and drug use in the area were common; one daughter saw
 a man stabbed to death. Rats were a constant problem.
“It was time to be able to live peacefully as a family and not have to worry about whether or not my children would make it through the night,” says Luis.
—The Castañeda family built their house alongside Hollywood celebrities and volunteers during last December’s “Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity”
20-house blitz. |
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 Three years ago, Karen Williams took on the responsibility of raising her three grandchildren—Amanda, 9; Adam, 7; and Kelly, 4. Together, they share a two-bedroom mobile home. During the day, Williams uses Amanda and Adam’s bedroom for her home-based business. Kelly sleeps in Karen’s bedroom. The only bathroom doubles as a closet. In October 2000, Karen was awarded permanent custody of the children. The family anxiously awaits the completion of its new home.
—Construction began on the Williams’ house in February.
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 Major leaks have caused the ceiling and walls of two of the three bedrooms to crumble in Tracye Bryant’s house in Philadelphia. Holes in the kitchen ceiling allow water to run directly over electrical sockets. Bryant and her daughter, Elender, sleep in the only bedroom that is habitable and the niece who lives with them sleeps on a couch. North Central Philadelphia HFH selected Bryant as a family partner in July 2000, and soon she was earning her sweat equity. “The [sweat equity] I do is worth it because I am learning to take care of my own home,” she says. “When I am in the other [Habitat] houses here that are almost finished, I imagine what it will be like to have my own home. I can hardly wait.”
—Tracye and her family hope to be in their new house by November. |
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 The atmosphere of poverty in their low-income neighbor-hood prompted Scott and Francine Dunne to apply for a Habitat house. They wanted a better life for their family. In June 2000, they were chosen for a Habitat house. Scott says their self-esteem increased, and he advises other families to pursue their dreams of homeownership: “Do not reject yourselves by not applying. Take the risk, and if it is meant to happen, it will.”
—The Dunne family looks forward to building the house and getting a dog soon.
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 Marina Martinez San Juan grew up in an extremely mountainous region where the dry air causes temperatures to climb high during the day and plunge at night. Weather conditions played an important role in Marina’s life, not only because of her occupation as a farmer and shepherd, but also because for five years, her home was a mesquite tree. Its branches sheltered and protected her family, except when the rain was so heavy they had to seek refuge elsewhere.
Now, as a Habitat homeowner, Marina has a new life. While she is grateful for the mesquite tree and says she will never cut it down, she no longer has to look to it for shelter. “We have a lot to thank God for,” she says. “I never imagined I would own a house.”
—Marina moved into her new Habitat house in 1998: “It changed our lives. …Things have been so good for us that we have never missed a house payment.” |
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 Between soaring interest rates and a low monthly income (less than $200US), the only shelter the Verdugüez family could afford was just two tiny rooms in a run-down adobe-block house. The walls were cracked, the stucco was falling and water leaked from the roof when it rained. Romulo, 45, and Adela, 41, struggled to make enough room for their six children, ages 3 to 21, to sleep. With no bathroom in the house, the family had to trek down the street to public toilets and showers shared by 80 other people—all of whom paid 32 cents every time they used the facilities. Water from the public system is available only once a week. Despite the challenges in their lives, the Verdugüez family worked hard to become Habitat homeowners. “Working with the other families to build our houses helped me grow as a person,” says Adela. “I know the value of friendship. …We all share our own homes in common.”
—After building in partnership with other homeowners over the course of three months, the Verdugüez family moved into the Habitat house in February.
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