Stories of Hope
Impacting Real People. Everyday.
Hope through Housing’s work is all about people and we know we’ve been successful when we witness life changing in individual lives. Following are just a few of our most recent stories of resident success and program highlights.
Story of Hope: Moving here ‘just made my life perfect’
Valerie Aguilar is an honor student, a member of her high school scholarship club, Bible club and marine biology club, and will attend the University of California-Santa Barbara next fall in her quest to become an environmental engineer.
More Stories of Hope
Do Fitness! With Uzi
A group of residents has gathered, waiting in anticipation for their weekly fitness class. Uzi Tayou, a professional soccer player for the Empire Strykers, is setting up for the day’s activities.
Hope through Housing’s Senior-Centered Exercise Classes Promote Wellness and Social Connection
It’s Thursday morning. Music is blaring from a portable speaker in the Day Creek Seniors Villas community room. A booming voice can be heard, calling out exercise moves to a room full of older adults, ranging in age from 62 to 91 years old. The class, led by Coach...
How Hope through Housing is Transforming Young Lives through Youth Mentorship
Hope through Housing, in partnership with the City of Ontario, is piloting a new youth mentorship program at the new affordable housing community of Vista Verde, with remarkable success.
On the Road Again: Through Building Bright Futures Scholarship, Father Restarts His Trucking Career
Erik, a father living at Sunset Heights in Alta Loma, California, used his scholarship to pay part of the schooling to renew his Class A trucking license.
Hope through Housing Partners with ProduceGood to Tackle Food Waste and Food Insecurity
Hope through Housing has partnered with ProduceGood, a San Diego nonprofit that tackles food waste and food insecurity by gathering fruit and vegetables that would otherwise be wasted.
Pathways to a Forever Home
When Cynthia, a single mother of one with twins on the way, moved into the affordable housing community of Villaggio on Route 66, she knew that her new two-bedroom apartment would not be her family’s forever home.
A Story of Hope: 2019 CORE’s Got Talent Finalist Tonji
Tonji was one of three finalists to perform at the 2019 An Evening of Hope: Endless Possibilities and a fan favorite.
Unlocking Opportunities: Sebastian Turns Sacrifices into Success
As he prepares for his third year at Notre Dame University, Sebastian is reflecting on all the sacrifices his mom has made that have led to this pivotal point in his life.
Story of Hope: Finding Community in the Age of Online School
Although Maria is halfway through high school, like millions of other students across the country, she has spent very little time actually at her school, Corona High.
Building Bright Futures Scholarship: The Start of a New Chapter
For most of his life, Brian lived a nomadic lifestyle, as his family moved from place to place, in search of affordable housing. The lack of stability made it difficult for Brian to develop friendships. He rarely stayed at a school long enough to make friends.
Military Appreciation Month: Sam
I recently had the honor of meeting Sam, 88, a Korean War Veteran at the Gardens at Sierra in Fontana where he has been a resident for more than eight years.
Building Bright Futures: The Possibilities are Endless!
Joey, a sixth-grader from Villaggio on Route 66 in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., has big dreams for his future. Through Hope through Housing’s Building Bright Futures initiative, Joey attends the after-school program where he lives and receives encouragement, mentoring...
Finding Housing after 15 Years on the Streets
Richard Porras looks back on the most difficult point of his life and sees it as a blessing. “I found out that more people out there care than don’t care. Homelessness took the negativity away from me,” he says in a voice slowed by years of drug abuse and living on...
Marv’s Place: A Safe Haven for a Dad and His Daughter
As 42-year-old Daniel Chavez sat down to tell his story, his daughter, Davida, crawled into his lap. The adorable brown-eyed, brown-haired 4-year-old wore a black Marvel shirt with superhero characters and a single ponytail. She smiled, posed and curiously scanned the...
A Mother’s Wish for Her Daughter
Silvia Monvalvo and her family have lived in the affordable housing development of San Antonio Vista in Montclair for more than 10 years. It is a tight knit community where families are watching their children excel in school and go on to higher education. For Silvia,...
Seniors pay it forward for ailing kids
Kay Serbenick has been crocheting for decades. But it wasn’t until recently that she found a way to combine her crafting with a charitable cause. In the process, she has inspired a community to join in.
How one program brought a boy from almost homeless to homeowner
Steven Crosby was 12 years old when he and his mother moved into the Monterey Village apartment community in Rancho Cucamonga. It was 1996, and they were transitioning out of a very difficult time. Steven recently had been reunited with his mother who was working...
A Life Transformed: Moving here ‘just made my life perfect’
Valerie Aguilar is an honor student, a member of her high school scholarship club, Bible club and marine biology club, and will attend the University of California-Santa Barbara next fall in her quest to become an environmental engineer.
A Life Transformed: How Live-Work Spaces are Helping Building Karina Orozco’s American Dream
EAST LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Karina Orozco stops in mid-sentence, emotions taking her to a place she’d been trying to avoid. “It’s hard, but I would do anything for my children,” she says through her tears. “As parents, we don’t take days off. We don’t get sick. We do...
A Life Transformed: When Strangers Become Family
Jasmine Martines felt alone and completely lost. The Hope through Housing Foundation gave her the strength and support she needed to start rebuilding her life. “What I learned this past year is that strangers can actually become family,” says Jasmine, a single mom...
Lives Transformed: Giving back after years of desperation and homelessness
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – Living homeless in “the field,” raising her young daughter by whatever means she could, Lisa Ponder often wondered if she would ever again have a roof over her head. Life in a tent – surrounded by others who, like you, had lost just about...
A Life Transformed: ‘I’m a driven person, and it is a rewarding feeling to know that there is help out there’
San Clemente, Calif- Kyril Bojckov doesn’t want a handout. At 27 with three jobs and monthly income of less than $3,000, he pays his bills on time and looks forward to moving up in the world. For now, however, he couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to live...
A Life Transformed: How Hope through Housing’s After School Program Paved the Path to College and Beyond
Montclair, Calif. – The Hope through Housing Foundation’s After School and Beyond program dared Itzel Farias to dream. Now 18 and beginning her second year at the University of California-Santa Barbara, Itzel is doing the rest. “I moved here when I was 10 years old,”...
How Lives Are Transformed by Hope through Housing’s After School and Beyond Program
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. – The Hope through Housing Foundation’s After School and Beyond program serves 1,300 low-income and at-risk children at 32 sites. Those are the numbers. The real stories are of young people with opportunities they might never have had...