A difficult beginning

Veronica and Fernando Costas and their four children came to the United States six years ago. Their living conditions in Mexico were close to inhumane; they lived in a small shack without insulation or actual floors (other than the dirt on which the shack sat). Veronica and Fernando decided to leave their roots behind and move north to secure a better future for their children.

When the family arrived in California, Fernando found work at a nursery. The job included one room in which the whole family lived. After living in these cramped conditions for about a year, the children began to get ill frequently. A nurse discovered that the small room that they called home was filled with toxic mold that was making the children sick. Veronica was upset because she felt the impossibility of the situation; they couldn’t afford to live anywhere else on Fernando’s minimum wage salary but they had to make sure their children were safe!

An opportunity for change

When Veronica was feeling her most helpless, the nurse who’d discovered the mold recommended that the family get help from EHC LifeBuilders. Veronica and Fernando followed her advice, and within a week of filling out an application, they were able to move into the Boccardo Family Living Center. They were assigned a case manager and immediately started working with her to develop their goals and objectives.

The most important immediate goal was for Fernando to find a permanent and stable job; he lost his job because the employer required the nursery staff to live on site. After assessing his abilities and potential barriers, their case manager taught Fernando how to use the Internet for job searching. This was an exceptional resource for the family. Within a month of job searching Fernando found a job maintaining and transporting vehicles at a car rental company. He also learned time management skills. His punctuality and responsibility improved over time. These assets helped keep this job for three years until he could learn a skilled trade and get work as a plumber.

Other members of the family also benefited with EHC LifeBuilders. Veronica learned how to keep a daily agenda in order to attend the different activities provided at the center. By utilizing the community resources offered, Veronica was also able to attain her childcare provider license. The Costas children started attending the local elementary school. With the help of our tutoring program, they achieved academic excellence, scoring high on exams and bringing home good grades on their report cards.

A hopeful future

The future was beginning to look bright for the Costas Family. With a new confidence and the skills they’d learned, they decided that they could achieve more than just renting their own home. Veronica and Fernando set a new goal of homeownership. They’d saved enough money and learned adequate skills to make this dream a reality. To support Veronica and Fernando in this dream, we connected them to program that helps first-time, low-income homebuyers. Soon, the Costas Family moved into a Morgan Hill home of their very own.

Today, Fernando is still working steadily and Veronica enjoys her successful childcare business. The children are active in school and consistently perform well. Thanks to the necessary resources and commitment, a stable future has been etched into the Costas Family’s life.

Actual names and photos have not been used in order to protect client privacy.