The time is here again when teachers gather and plan there lessons and learn how best to communicate with students and accomplish the requirements mandated by their plan & the school boards direction.

For HPLA this time of the year means trying to stay connected with all the demands put on our charity to provide safe and habitable shelters for the family of school aged children. And we don’t forget all the other families we help. Seniors living alone who have outlived their children and relatives.

Currently we are dedicating our resources to a family expecting their third child. They have been trying to move into their first home before baby arrives. The opportunity to have a place of their own is so exciting and the time to get it done seemed doable. But the pride of ownership does not come cheap and some opportunities come with serious consequences or pitfalls. Life’s lessons can be brutal.

It is the opinion of experts that this house was not inhabitable and should have never been sold. But “hindsight is much clearer than foresight.” This hardworking couple had agreed to make it work and signed the commitment. Well it has not worked. “Buyer Beware”

They have come up short in many ways but fortunately have been directed to call out for help. And they did. It took some persuasion but they let some of us privileged people in. Yes, we are privileged to help a fellow human being who has few resources and are hurting through no fault of their own. In this case there are language barriers we have to over come and few resources to draw from. Secondly they want to do it themselves and can but,they need lots of help. God is good and so is the generosity of our community. Praise be to God.

HPLA in co-operation with other charitable organizations is helping re-build the property and the blessing is that the head of household is an experienced handyman. He has basically remodeled the interior of the main house but the most expensive of tasks remain. The bathroom needs all new plumbing. The kitchen needs all new plumbing. The electrical system needs to have new circuits added along with cost of a final inspection by a licensed electrician. Water lines will be less of an issue but non-the-less an issue. And there is much more.

This house will provide adequate shelter and has already improved the appearance of the neighborhood. HPLA is helping reduce blight, keeping properties on the tax roles, helping provide affordable housing for low income families and keeping children in school.

We are privileged in that we receive a tremendous blessing by giving back to our community. It ignites corporations desire to contribute. (An aside: For you local business owners, please note that the salary paid for one employee for one week keeps us working for months). We recently took $20.00 and one hour of volunteer labor to fix an outdoor hydrate which had froze last winter. Now the homeowner can keep her flowers growing and grass green & improve the appearance of the neighborhood. Charity has also allowed for the dusk to dawn light in the back yard to be repaired and now the area is also more secure.

We have some volunteers that will help who are willing to give up time if you, dear reader, can help us provide the parts, materials and supplies to fix the issues we face.

Our sincere gratitude this month goes to D&R Services, Inc. http://www.handyman24-7kck.com for providing HPLA with new drills, screw guns & chop saw which are all battery powered to proved excellent portability and productivity. Thank you.

Help us keep doing the great work we do please. Please donate at https://habitacionesparalatinos.org/donate/

God Bless You
Bob Flores Chairman