Vanessa Guillen and her 7-year old daughter, Amber, currently live in a 2-bedroom apartment on the second floor of a Denver apartment complex. Amber has special needs and requires the use of a wheelchair to get around. This causes problems in the Guillen’s current rental because Vanessa has to carry Amber up and down a flight of stairs every time they go anywhere. The neighborhood is also unsafe, so Amber isn’t able to spend time outside of the apartment – which makes the Guillen’s feel stuck inside.

The opportunity of homeownership means everything to Vanessa. Their future Habitat home is going to be wheelchair accessible and will have much more living space for both Amber and Vanessa. The new home is going to allow Amber the opportunity to safely go outside and enjoy the neighborhood and the yard. And the extra space is going to provide Amber with a much more enjoyable living environment since she won’t have to have all of her medical equipment in her bedroom.

Vanessa first learned about Habitat for Humanity through her father, who volunteered on a construction site and got her interested in the program. Vanessa is so excited and grateful for the opportunity of homeownership, and she would like to say to her sponsors, HIA, and all of the volunteers who will work on her home, “Thank you. There aren’t any words to describe how great this is for us. Without you we wouldn’t have the opportunity to own a home.”