Verve- Ruiz Garcia Family

Build Dates: October 28th-29th, 2016

Family Information:

Father- Eder

• Age: 28
• Profession: Handicapped
• Daily Salary: N/A

Mother- Carolina

• Age: 35
• Profession: Factory Worker
• Weekly Salary: 855 pesos or $50 approx.

Children-

• Ricardo, 17 yrs, High School
• Roberto, 16 yrs, High School
• Alan, 2 yrs
• Alma, 2 yrs

Property Information:

Colonia- Nuevo Milenio
Time with property- 9 months
Structure- Dirt and carpet floor, wood and plastic roof, wood walls
Electricity- No
Running Water- No
 

Family Story:

Carolina met Eder through a friend and after some time of knowing each other, Eder started to speak to Carolina about God. Carolina started to go to church with Eder, met his pastors and accepted Christ. Shortly after they were married and it was after they were married that she found out about Eder's disability. He suffers from a disorder which affects his bones and their ability to move normally. Eder is unable to work which makes Carolina the sole income source for the family. Ricardo and Roberta are in high school. It has been very difficult for Carolina to earn enough money to cover the expenses of the children's school and their every day needs as a family. One year after they were married, their twins were born. They were born at only 7 months gestation, but are very healthy. Ricardo wants to study robotics and electronics, while Roberto enjoys carpentry and construction. Before living on their land, they were living in a place that was lent to them for one year. Because they had top return the house, they moved to their property where the church and pastors had helped them build a structure to live in. 

Sparks- Martinez Galicia

Build Dates: October 29th-30th, 2016

Family Information:

Father- Ulises

• Age: 27
• Profession: Construction
• Daily Salary: 1200 pesos or $70 approx.

Mother- Guadalupe

• Age: 24
• Profession: Homemaker
• Weekly Salary: N/A

Children-

• Gelen Danai, 2 yrs
• Ulises, 1 month

Property Information:

Colonia- Aguajito
Time with property- 1 yr
Structure- Live in a trailer
Electricity- No
Running Water- No
 

Family Story:

Guadalupe and Ulises met here in Ensenada 7 years ago and were married 3 years ago.  Guadalupe has lived her whole life here in Ensenada with her mom, Ulises is also from Ensenada.  When they got married they rented a house but their payments were high.  They had their first child and continued to rent for about a year before buying the property. Ulises noticed that people were starting to invade some properties so he chose a piece of land as well and moved his family there before all the plots were taken.  The government was finally able to legalize those properties and now they legally on that land.  They haven’t been able to build anything because of Ulises’s low income which barely covers their daily expenses.  They want a house because they’ve been living in a small trailer and want to raise their children in a safe and healthy environment.  

Crosby Church- Hernandez Lugardo Family

Build Dates: October 20th-21st, 2016

Family Information:

Father- Santos

• Age: 38
• Profession: Construction
• Daily Salary: 1000 pesos or $59 approx.

Mother- Bertha

• Age: 32
• Profession: Packing
• Weekly Salary: 1000 pesos or $59 approx.

Children-

• Yaquelin, 16 yrs
• Jesus Ramon, 14 yrs, 3rd Grade
• Pedro, 6 yrs, 1st Grade
• Kimberly

Property Information:

Colonia- Veladero, Maneadero
Time with property- 1 year
Structure- Concrete floor, wood walls
Electricity- Yes
Running Water- No
 

Family Story:

Bertha is originally from Sonora and got married when she was 15 years old.  A year later she had her first child Yaquelin and later got pregnant again with her second son Jesus Ramon that now lives with his grandmother in Sonora.  The father was very violent yet Bertha stayed 4 years with him before leaving him and moving to Ensenada 11 years ago.  A year after moving to Ensenada she met another man and had another child (Pedro) with him who is now 6.  But that man began cheating on her and became a drunk so she decided to leave him also.  A year later she met Santos, her current husband.  She made the decision to go and live with him and had another child with him named Kimberly who is now just over a month old. When she moved to Ensenada she rented a house but moved in and out of different places because of her low income.  Later she decided to buy property because it was getting hard for her and her family to be moving from place to place. Bertha and Santos asked for a loan in the bank to build the small room they live in today. The house is made out of wood but is deteriorating because of all the rain.  They’re asking for a house because their children need their own space and it gets really cold during winter time in the place they’re currently living in.  Santos can’t build a better place for them due to his low income and the daily expenses and payments they need to make.  Bertha hopes that her newborn won’t have to go through the winter in their current house.

Mt Soledad- Ibanez Garcia Family

Build Dates: October 15th-16th, 2016

Family Information:

Father- Roberto

• Age: 42
• Profession: Sells secondhand items
• Daily Salary: 700 pesos or $40 approx.

Mother- Juanita

• Age: 28
• Profession: Sells Secondhand items
• Daily Salary: 100 pesos or $6 approx.

Children-

• Pedro, 10 yrs, 5th Grade
• Alejandro, 4 yrs

Property Information:

Colonia- Villas 1
Time with property-
Structure- Dirt floor, wood
Electricity- No
Running Water- No
 

Family Story:

Roberto is from Tijuana and Juanita from Oaxaca.  They both moved to Ensenada and met here as neighbors.  They later started dating and eventually moved in together.  They moved into a house they rented for about a year and then they had their first boy Pedro.  Money was not an issue until their second child was born.  Also, in the past years, Roberto has been struggling with his health and even got facial paralysis leaving him unable to work consistently.  Some time ago, they decided to buy property because they had to return the house where they were living and were to become homeless. 

Lake Community 20x20- Lazaro Ramirez Family

Build Dates: October 15th-20th, 2016

Family Information:

Father- Roberto

• Age: 37
• Profession: Construction
• Daily Salary: 1200 pesos or $70 approx.

Mother- Rosa

• Age: 31
• Profession: Homemaker
• Weekly Salary: N/A

Children-

• Joshua, 11 yrs, 5th Grade
• Roberto, 7 yrs, 1st Grade
• Rubi, 5 yrs, Preschool
• Aitiana, 2 yrs

Property Information:

Colonia- Pablo Orta
Time with property- 1 yr
Structure- Dirt floor, wood walls and metal roof
Electricity- No
Running Water- No
 

Family Story:

Rosa and Roberto have been living together for 11 years.  They met in Ensenada while they were both looking for jobs.  They have 4 children, therefore she doesn’t work because she takes care of them and also takes them to school.  Roberto works as a builder from 8:00 am to 6:00pm, depending on the day. After renting a house for 2 years, for which they paid $2,000 pesos a month along with the $1,000 pesos for the property they bought on credit for a total of about $175, they decided to stop renting and move to their property where they’ve been living for over a month now.   They built a room with random materials people donated them along with things they bought from second hand stores and they’re soon adding sheet metal around the property. 

Evergreen Christian- Perez Alvarado Family

Build Dates: October 14th-15th, 2016

Family Information:

Father- Felipe

• Age: 28
• Profession: Salesman
• Daily Salary: 1,000 pesos or $58 approx.

Mother- Minerva

• Age: 24
• Profession: Homemaker

Children-

• Magdalena, 8 yrs, 3rd Grade
• Luis, 2 yrs

Property Information:

Colonia- Maneadero
Time with property- 4 months
Structure- Dirt floor, plastic and used materials
Electricity- No
Running Water- No
 

Family Story:

Felipe and Minerva are both originally from Oaxaca.  Four years ago they moved to Ensenada looking for a job.  Before Felipe, Minerva had been previously married but it didn’t work because he didn’t support them or care for their child.  Later on, Felipe and Minerva met and decided to be a family and even had a child together.  Magdalena is Minerva’s child from her first marriage, and she is 8 years old. Luis is Felipe and Minerva’s child together, and he is 2 years old. They were able to buy a property and built a house out of plastic waste.  Minerva’s grandparents live with them in that small house.  Felipe works selling chili, tomato and onions going door to door and sometimes Minerva goes along and helps him.  It’s a really tough job since they have to walk the entire day to offer their products.  Their desire is that they may have a home where they can feel secure and live in peace. 

Bennett Blue Team #2- Sigala Ruiz Family

Build Dates: October 8th-9th, 2016

Family Information:

Father- Adolfo

• Age: 20
• Profession: Sells Juice
• Daily Salary: 1,000 pesos or about $58

Mother- Cindi

• Age: 20
• Profession: Homemaker
• Weekly Salary: N/A

Children-

• Ian, 2 yrs
• Daniel, 10 months

Property Information:

Colonia- Maneadero
Time with property- 9 months
Structure- Dirt and carpet floors, wood roof and walls
Electricity- No
Running Water- No
 

Family Story:

Cindy comes from a broken home where she suffered a lot growing up.  Her mom was constantly physically abused by her husband (Cindi’s stepfather) and this would make Cindi fall into depression.  After some time, Cindi’s mother left her husband but fell into a depressive state also and didn’t want to work.  So Cindi had to leave her studies and started working to provide for herself and her little sister.

  Later, they went to live with her grandmother because the house they were living at was an abandoned house.  A little time went by and Cindi meets Adolfo and gets together with him 3 months later because she didn’t want to live with her mother any longer.

   From there, Adolfo and Cindi move in and out of friend’s houses because they couldn’t pay rent.  Finally, 8 months later they were able to pay the first part of a small property they’re buying.    Adolfo works selling juice and their income barely gets them through the day.  Cindy would love a new house so that their children won’t have to go through the same things she had to go through. 

Bennett Red Team #1- Salinas Sosa Family

Build Dates: October 8th-9th, 2016

Family Information:

Father- Hector

• Age: 23
• Profession: Field Worker
• Daily Salary:

Mother- Miriam

• Age: 21
• Profession: Pharmacy
• Weekly Salary: 850 pesos or $50

Children-

• Roberth, 2 yrs
• Johan, 3 months

Property Information:

Colonia- Maneadero
Time with property- 2 months
Structure- Trailer
Electricity-  No
Running Water- No  
 

Family Story:

  Miriam is from Ensenada and has always lived in poverty.  When she was 17 years old she got together with her boyfriend.  They lasted 4 years and when Miriam was 7 months pregnant with their first child, their relationship hit a rough patch and they got separated.  She had to stop studying and started working while her mother took care of their child.  With help from her parents she was able to buy the trailer she’s living in today.   

 She later got together with her current boyfriend and had another child.  They’re living in the trailer. When it rains, water enters the house through the roof.  Miriam and her family need a new house so that her kids can grow up in an actual house where they won’t have to worry about the water situation which causes the children to be sick. 

LCGJ Blue- Escamilla Ramirez Family

Build Dates: October 4th-5th, 2016

Family Information:

Father- Leobardo

• Age: 45
• Profession: Cleaning department at recreation center
• Weekly Salary: 1200 pesos or $70

Mother- Elvira

• Age: 44
• Profession: Homemaker
• Weekly Salary: N/A

Children-

• Edith, 10 yrs, 5th Grade

Property Information:

Colonia- Paraiso
Time with property- 1 yr
Structure- Dirt floor, wood roof and walls
Electricity- No
Running Water- No
 

Family Story:

Leobardo and Elvira are both from Michoacán.  They’ve been living in Ensenada for about 5 years and have 2 kids: Edith and Abel.  Abel lives in Michoacán by choice with his grandmother. 

Before they bought the property they live in today, they rented a house in Maneadero.  They later heard of Homes of Hope and decided to buy the property and apply for a house.  They have a small room made out of some wood that they bought with a loan of $20,000 pesos, or about $1200, which they have to be paying monthly.  The room has no electricity so every night they have to light a candle so that Edith can do her homework. 

Leobardo works in the cleaning department of a recreational center.  Elvira doesn’t work because she stays back home taking care of Edith.  Abel wants to come live with his family but in the meantime he can’t as there isn't enough space for him in the small wooden room they call a home. Abel is also not used to being around his family because he has lived with his grandmother for the past 15 years and it would be a major to shock to move in with them now with things the way for them. 

LCGJ Red- Alvarado Morales Family

Build Dates: October 4th-5th, 2016

Family Information:

Father- Domingo

• Age: 23
• Profession: Field Worker
• Daily Salary: 160 pesos or $9

Mother- Cecilia

• Age: 22
• Profession: Field Worker
• Weekly Salary: $27 approx. for 3 days of work

Children-

• Yetziri, almost 3 yrs

Property Information:

Colonia- Maneadero
Time with property- 4 yrs
Structure- Dirt floor, tarp roof, and walls of used materials
Electricity- No
Running Water- No
 

Family Story:

Cecilia was born in Ensenada but her parents are originally from Oaxaca.  She met her husband Domingo at her job.  Domingo was born in Oaxaca but when he was 5 years old his family moved to Ensenada in need of better jobs and a better way of life.  Cecilia and Domingo started dating, got married, and went to live with Domingo’s parents.  They also have a daughter who is almost 3 years old.

They purchased a property in payments with help from Cecilia’s family.  The property is paid for but they still owe Cecilia’s family because they borrowed money to pay for the property.  The property cost them 27,000 pesos, or approx. $1600 dollars, and now they’ve built a small room with some wood that Domingo’s brother gave them. 

They both work in the field. They get paid 160 pesos a day, or about $9.  Cecilia works 3 days a week while Domingo works 5.  Every work day, Cecilia drops her daughter off at her mom’s house so she can go to work. 

They haven’t been able to build anything because of their debt with Cecilia’s family.