Methodist Build
Homelessness, Affordable Housing, and Food Insecurity, Missions & Outreach
- Visit austinhabitat.volunteerhub.com/lp/stjohnsumc/
- Click on the Sign In button in the top right corner.
- If you do not already have an account, click the Create an Account button.
- Sign up for the event!
Read on about a family who has benefited from Habitat for Humanity:
Omelio and Martha are two hardworking parents that have risked everything to improve the quality of life for their two daughters, Thalia (18) and Thaimy (11). In hopes of escaping an oppressive government in Cuba, they endured a challenging and long journey to the US. After arriving in Miami a government program helped them relocate to Austin. Since their arrival, they have grown attached to the city. They love how safe they feel here, spending time with their daughters in nature and by the lakes, and how much less crowded the city feels compared to their home in Cuba.
Omelio and Martha heard about Austin Habitat for Humanity from the non-profit Caritas. They were encouraged to apply for the program by another Habitat family partner who Martha worked with in Cuba. Now they will be neighbors and can enjoy the sense of community they have been longing for since leaving their home country.
In Cuba, Omelio worked as a General Surgeon for 20 years while Martha worked as a librarian. Currently, Omelio works as a Certified Nursing Assistant, assisting patients with in-home care while Martha is a cafeteria worker in a local school. They hope that the stability of their new home will allow them time to improve their English and to go back to school. Omelio wants to earn the medical certifications needed to practice medicine in the US and Martha wants to become a teacher.
The family of four currently lives in a two bedroom apartment. Since coming to America their teenage daughters have never had rooms of their own and they are looking forward to their own space. Omelio and Martha are looking forward to putting downs roots and investing in something that is finally their own. They are excited to make the home their own by painting walls and hanging decorations. Omelio is excited about landscaping and planting the rose bushes, while they both look forward to creating a vegetable garden in their yard. Martha can’t wait to have a washer and dryer in their home so she can spend more valuable time with her family rather than fight crowds at the laundromat.
Omelio and Martha are so grateful to everyone involved in the process of fulfilling their homeownership dreams. They said that they will be thankful their entire lives for the big hearted people that helped out their family and they know they wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.
Thank you for your support of Austin Habitat and Omelio & Martha’s family!