Floors to Play On

When María invited us into her home in Elotepec, Veracruz, she apologized for the floor. What once was uneven dirt had become dusty mud during the rainy season and a constant source of illness for her children. Like many families in rural and peri-urban Mexico, María worked hard every day, yet something as basic as a safe floor remained out of reach.

That is where this project began.

Between 2024 and early 2025, Habitat for Humanity México improved housing conditions for vulnerable families in Veracruz and Baja California by replacing dirt floors with safe, durable concrete floors—transforming homes and lives.

In Elotepec, Veracruz, 21 families completed new floors between October and December 2024 through a self-construction model. Families actively participated in the process, supported with materials, technical assistance, and labor. Each home received an average 40 m² concrete floor, incorporating more sustainable materials such as Resin8. Despite labor shortages that extended the timeline, the project significantly improved hygiene, health, and dignity for participating households.

In Baja California, the project reached a larger scale. During Phase 1 (March–September 2024), 140 floors were built in vulnerable neighborhoods in Tijuana, in coordination with local authorities and with the support of nine university volunteers who assisted in household assessments and community engagement.

Building on this success, Phase 2 (December 2024–April 2025) expanded the project to Tijuana and Ensenada, completing an additional 170 floors. This phase focused on capacity building, transferring Habitat’s technical and social expertise to government institutions to ensure quality, sustainability, and long-term scalability.

Overall, the project demonstrates how a simple intervention—a concrete floor—can reduce health risks, strengthen dignity, and lay the foundation for safer and healthier homes. Thanks to our donors’ support, hundreds of families are now living on solid ground, with renewed hope for the future.

During the July–September 2024 quarter, the 150 Floors Tijuana project made significant progress toward its goal of improving the living conditions of families in the municipality of Tijuana. In this period, 140 families received new concrete floors, making their homes safer, cleaner, and healthier.

Community participation

The work with the communities went beyond construction. Workshops were held to strengthen families’ knowledge and involvement. In total, 140 people actively participated, including 32 men (3 over 65 years old) and 108 women (5 over 65 years old).

The workshops implemented during this quarter were:

• Informative talk: families learned about the scope of the project, the organizations involved, and the commitments each beneficiary was required to make. They also received information on the start and end dates of construction, which created trust and clarity in the process.

• Healthy housing and habitability: participants discussed the importance of having adequate, safe housing that contributes to the health of household members. Families learned to identify the elements that promote habitability in their homes and understood how these directly impact their well-being.

Results and impact

The workshops had a direct impact in three main areas:

• Community development and strengthening, by encouraging family organization and participation.

• Access to adequate housing, thanks to the incorporation of concrete floors as an essential improvement for health and safety.

• Water, sanitation, and hygiene, since replacing dirt floors with concrete reduces exposure to dust and microorganisms, allowing for more effective hygiene practices.

Project progress

Regarding construction progress, the results by month were as follows:

• July 2024: 140 concrete floors completed.

• August 2024: 50 additional floors completed.

• September 2024: no further advances recorded, as the project was in its closing phase.

With these achievements, the project has directly improved the quality of life of more than one hundred families, who now have safer and more dignified living spaces.