FELLSMERE — Pedro Escobar grew up in Hidalgo, Mexico, in a one-room house that he shared with his parents and two brothers.
“There was no air conditioning, no bathrooms, and our kitchen was outside, really just a burner with two sticks holding up a roof,” he recalls.
Each day, he worked hard and remembered his goal: to move to the United States and taste the American Dream of getting married, owning a house, and raising a family.
“I wanted a better life, and that was not possible in Mexico. You would have to work, like 50 years, in order to get a decent house,” says the 28-year-old, who now works full-time as a plumber assistant in Vero Beach.
The pieces eventually fell into place: Escobar moved to Fellsmere in 2004, met and married Sandra Arce in 2008, and they had a daughter, Jimena, now 4 years old.
The final piece – owning a home – came true in May when the family moved into their own three-bedroom and two-bath house in Grace Meadows.
Two months later, Arce says she still wakes up each morning with a grateful heart and big smile, knowing her family is in its own home.
“It is a beautiful feeling,” says Arce, who grew up in Michoacan, Mexico before moving to Fellsmere in 2003.
The couple, who each have permanent U.S. resident status, lived with relatives before the move.
“Pedro and I always wanted a house of our own, but it was still a far-off dream. But Habitat and Megan made it happen,” she says, referring to the Indian River Habitat for Humanity, which built their home, and Megan Simon, a family services associate with the organization.
Simon, a Sebastian resident who speaks fluent Spanish, served as the Escobars’ translator throughout the Habitat Home application process.
She translated the application forms and other materials into Spanish for the couple, as well as conducted all the homebuyer classes in Spanish.
Arce speaks some English and Escobar is learning the language. However, both say having Simon there to translate throughout the process was a godsend.
“She helped us a lot, and we’re very thankful for it,” she says.
Habitat is now seeking fluent Creole speakers who can provide the same kinds of service for Haitian families.
“We have Creole speakers who are coming in, many with their own translators, which is fine. But we would like to be able to provide them with someone on site who can translate information for them,” Simon says, adding that the majority of these families choose to live in the Oslo area.
Like Simon, this volunteer will translate all of the English-language materials used in the home application process into Creole. They also will work directly with families as they go through homebuyer classes.
In addition, the volunteer is encouraged to join the organization’s special events committees, including those for the HabiTrot and HabiDash; the Cracker Hoedown; and the Bowl to Build.
“The volunteer would work out of our main office in Vero Beach and will go through training before meeting with families,” Simon adds.
As of July, Indian River Habitat has served a total of 398 families since its inception 22 years ago, according to a news release from CEO Andy Bowler.
This includes constructing 303 new homes, rehabilitating 40 existing homes, and repairing approximately 55 homes belonging to the elderly, disabled and/or veterans.
The organization recently announced a plan to shift its focus from new home construction to the rehabilitation of foreclosed homes. The change is in response to the current housing market, economy, and ever-increasing need in the county for decent, affordable, low-income housing.
Habitat projections indicate that rehabs will overtake new home construction by a 2-to-1 margin.
Partial funding for the organization’s rehab projects will be paid through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP3).
The county has allocated $1.3 million in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant funding for Habitat to use toward the purchase of foreclosed homes in the Oslo Park area.
Bowler states that 14 homes, many of which are distressed, will be refurbished and made available to Habitat homebuyers this fiscal year, as part of the first segment of the NSP3 program.
Arce knows the positive impact Habitat can have on those living in Indian River County. In addition to her immediate family, the organization’s homebuyer program has also assisted her parents and her brother’s family in purchasing their homes.
“Owning your own home is a beautiful thing,” she says.
Escobar agrees, adding that life for his daughter will be different than the one he knew back in Mexico.
“Jimena’s going to grow up knowing that she has her own house, with her own room, and an indoor, real kitchen,” he laughs. “That’s something she can be proud of…I know I am.”