Homeowner Stories

The Farnsley Family

Ryan and Heather Farnsley have five children, Andrew, age 11, Justin, age 10, Rebecca, age 9, Cassandra, age 4 and Samantha, age 17 months. Ryan is a native Arizonan and Heather was born in Bakersfield, California. Both graduated from Peoria High School.

The family resided in Peoria in a small trailer with no yard for the kids to play. Now, the kids have their own back yard in which they have planted a vegetable garden and many trees they helped pick out with their parents. Heather and Ryan save a few dollars every week to go towards their backyard. The kids get to play in a safe back yard and also get to experiment and learn about growing different plants. Heather is a homemaker and Ryan works for the City of Peoria. Ryan and Heather are working hard to make a better life for themselves and their children. Habitat for Humanity has allowed for them to do this in their new home in El Amor de Cristo.

The Kidwell Family

The Kidwell Family has lived on their own since they were teenagers. As “working poor” they often found themselves in unsafe living environments – an unfortunate reality for many low-income families. The apartment needed major repairs. Cracks in the walls and gaps in the doors, led to expensive utility bills. In an effort to build a brighter future for their growing family, the Kidwell’s decided to apply for housing through Habitat’s homeownership program.

The Kidwell’s have always believed in working for what they have, but their dreams of owning a home to raise their family just seemed to be out of reach. They had faith that one day they would have a safer home for their daughters. "We now have a brighter future for our family and a great sense of security raising our children in this new home, and wonderful new city of Chandler. So we extend our thanks again for giving us this life changing opportunity!"

The Quintero Family

The Quintero Family has held dreams of homeownership for many years. This single mother of three believed she would never be able to afford a home of her own. While in County housing she has witnessed incidents of violence and was the victim of several violent acts, including robbery.

The conditions of the apartment posed a hazard to her family due to insects, rodents and cracks in the ceiling and floor tiles. Her sub-standard living conditions and fear for the safety of her children led her to her partnership with Habitat. Thanks to her building home sponsors, she now has a safe environment and stable future for her children.

The Aguilar Family

Ana is a single parent with three daughters, Jennifer, age 18, Stephanie, age 16 and Yazmin, age 12. Ana immigrated from El Salvador and became a U.S. Citizen in Los Angeles. She has lived in Arizona for many years and is a Nutrition Representative with Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Glendale.

Her daughter Jennifer is attending Glendale Community College on a 2-year scholarship for Civil Engineering. Stephanie is doing well in school and wants to attend Cosmetology School. Yazmin enjoys junior high school. Before Habitat, the family of four shared a small, crowed two-bedroom apartment with no yard or patio. They were afraid to be out after dark in the transient neighborhood. Groups of men would often loiter and drink in their parking lot. Ana worked very hard to make a better life for her family. They are very thankful to have a the space and security of their new home in Habitat’s El Amor de Cristo subdivision in Peoria.

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