By Sasha Davis | Director of Communications
Gabriel and Sylvia are the proud parents of two young kids, three-year-old Oscar, and Lucy who was born this past December. Gabriel works full-time as a pastoral associate and Sylvia is a fulltime mother, which is extra challenging as their son is disabled. Living in the Cully neighborhood for the past five years, the family loves their community, but find it difficult to afford a place that meets their son’s needs.
Oscar has cerebral palsy, cortical vision impairment and a developmental and intellectual disability. He uses a wheelchair, as well as several other pieces of specialized equipment, for mobility and therapy. Their two bedroom apartment is already too small to accommodate two growing children and Oscar’s therapy equipment.
But even more urgent is the lack of accessibility for Oscar. The door frames are too small to accommodate a wheelchair, so Gabriel and Sylvia have to move their son from room-to-room by picking him up, a tiring task that will become harder as he gets older. The house has steps to the front door with no wheelchair ramp, so even getting in and out of the house each day is difficult.
In addition to the lack of accessibility, there are electrical problems, single pane windows that make the home drafty and expensive to keep warm, and mold growing in many places.
The family learned about Habitat through their church and were elated when they were selected into the Homeownership Program. Their home will be located at Helensview, allowing them to stay in their current neighborhood. Noyes Development will build the home during the Home Builders Blitz 2016 this spring.
“We are so relieved. We had fear of being pushed out of our neighborhood by gentrification,” said Gabriel, “but most of all we are happy to give our children a safe home that has a greater quality of life.”
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By Sasha Davis | Director of Communications
By Sasha Davis | Director of Communications
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