Austin Habitat for Humanity celebrates its 500th home milestone
Austin Habitat for Humanity hit a major milestone on Wednesday in Central Texas. The organization celebrated providing its 500th Austin home to a family in need. (Photo Credit: CBS Austin video file)
Austin Habitat for Humanity hit a major milestone on Wednesday in Central Texas. The organization celebrated providing its 500th Austin home to a family in need.
The new homeowners are Frank and Anyelis - a couple from Cuba who's been living in Austin for the last four years and on the path to the American dream. As the political situation in Venezuela became dangerous, they relocated to Colombia and then immigrated to the United States. They had been living in a one-bedroom apartment that left them no room to grow their family of three to four.
"We are just super blessed too because we got a lovely family here a family that immigrated here who's worked super hard to get into the United States and really be productive members of our society," said CEO for Austin Habitat for Humanity, Phyllis Snodgrass. "We are thrilled. We just are thrilled they are able to realize this dream of homeownership!"
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Austin is in the midst of a housing crisis and Austin Habitat for Humanity has been developing innovative solutions to address this growing problem since 1985. Officials say they will continue to help more families in need than ever.
"The median income has been increasing in our area for a while so the families that we are allowed to serve and able to serve has increased and we are helping a lot of working families throughout Austin, so if you are struggling with homeownership, contact us," Snodgrass said.
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Officials added that the dedication of 500 homes built "represents the community's diversity, commitment, support, and civic-mindedness to give a hand up, not a handout, to their neighbors."
Frank and Anyelis only speak Spanish but did express how they love the fact that they are learning construction skills and recognize how special it is to build alongside their neighbors and raise their families in the coming years.
Habitat for Humanity said they plan to come together to build another 500 homes with the help of volunteers to continue providing families a foundation for a bright future.
