Jose and Rosa Aleman moved their family from Mexico to Austin in search of a better future for their three daughters. When they arrived in 2003, the family struggled financially and ended up moving multiple times due to rising rents. They were introduced to us through our Community Tax Centers and ultimately moved into our Trails at Vintage Creek community.

“Living at Vintage Creek was crucial,” Jose said. “It allowed my family to save money each month.”

Jose, a mechanical engineer and legal permanent resident of the U.S., left his construction job in Mexico because business was slow. He and Rosa decided to leave their home country and extended families behind so that their daughters could have the best educational and professional opportunities possible.

The Aleman family lived at Vintage Creek for two and a half years. During that time, Jose and Rosa participated in our matched savings program. For every $1 residents save, we match up to $8 (with a cap of $2,000) and residents are able to use these funds to pursue higher education, purchase their own home or start a small business.

With the assistance of our matched savings program and homebuyer classes, the Alemans left Vintage Creek in 2010 and bought their first home.

Melanie, the youngest of the Aleman children, was excited when they moved into their new house. “I could have a dog and paint my own walls,” Melanie said. “I could really make it my home.”

The Alemans have also participated in our one-on-one financial coaching, college financial aid assistance, and Insure Central Texas programs.

Jose, Rosa and their three daughters have utilized nearly every free financial stability program we offer. As a result, the Alemans sent their two older daughters to college and Melanie will be attending UT Austin in the fall. Each of the Aleman children have lived out their parents’ dreams for them — graduating at the top of their class and seeking out fulfilling careers.

Melanie hopes to be admitted into the engineering program at UT so that she can follow in her father’s footsteps.

“My dad gave up his career for us to have a better education,” Melanie said. “That motivates me every day.”

Jose said his family has always had a good experience with the trained volunteers who staff our financial stability programs, and he and Rosa regularly tell their friends about what a difference our services have made in their lives.

Our aim is to empower families with the financial tools they need to succeed. The Aleman family is a shining example of persistence, dedication and hard work paying off in the end.

Shouldering the weight of his family’s well-being hasn’t diminished Kevin Moreno’s spirits. This impressive 20-year-old is living out his dreams of working in the medical profession, while also serving as the primary provider for his two younger siblings, mother and grandmother.

Kevin and his family moved into our Sierra Vista community last October after spending years sharing a studio apartment. Living in that tiny space was stressful for the entire family and it was Kevin who sought out a solution.

“Finding a place to live has been the hardest challenge for my family,” Kevin said. “Moving to Sierra Vista was a huge relief.”

The Morenos are part of our Children’s Home Initiative (CHI). CHI is an intensive support program for extremely low-income families with young children. The rent CHI families pay is even further reduced and they receive on-site case management, employment assistance, and access to our education, financial stability and health programs.

Kevin was able to get a job at St. David’s Hospital as a patient care technician by enrolling in a training program he found with the help of his case manager. He is passionate about his new job and makes more than he did working in retail.

Thinking about what’s best for his family has been Kevin’s main focus over the last four years. When he was 16, Kevin’s father was incarcerated and it suddenly became his responsibility to step up.

Kevin worked long hours at various retail stores as a high school student. He successfully graduated but his family’s struggles didn’t ease up. His mother was pregnant with his younger sister when his father left and Kevin didn’t want his sister to grow up without space to grow and play. He researched their options and applied to Foundation Communities. The family soon found their home at Sierra Vista.

Along with the support he received to secure a higher-paying job, Kevin said that staff and volunteers have taught him how to better manage his money and save for unexpected events. His siblings are also thriving. His younger brother, Dylan, is doing well as a student at McCallum High School and his younger sister, Avia, is enrolled in our free pre-literacy program which prepares students for kindergarten.

Kevin plans to move up the ladder at St. David’s and has high hopes for his younger siblings. He credits his mother and his grandmother for their strength and faith in him. Just as he continues to do for his family, Kevin wants to take care of people in whatever way he can in his professional life.

“I believe I have a big heart,” Kevin said. We couldn’t agree more.

To learn more about our CHI program, please visit www.FoundCom.org/housing/at-risk-homeless-families/

After years of struggling with substance abuse and homelessness, Sharon Ford finally feels like her life is on the upswing. She moved into our Skyline Terrace community in 2012 and since then has maintained sobriety, developed deep friendships and gone back to work part-time through our supported employment program. Four days a week, Sharon delivers healthy food to our on-site food pantries.

“I look forward to getting up every day and going to work,” Sharon said. “My job keeps me busy and I love it because I get to meet different people.”

Sharon said her life was complete turmoil before she moved into Skyline Terrace. She saw her mother suffer from alcoholism when she was a child and her ex-husband introduced her to the drug that would derail her life. Sharon ultimately experienced homelessness on three separate occasions and her chronic health issues, including damaged discs in her neck and back, worsened.

She eventually got connected with a case manager at Caritas, one of our community partners, and that’s when she found a home with us. Having a stable place to live has allowed Sharon to make progress in treating her depression and anxiety, and build lasting relationships with friends and family. One of her favorite visitors is her four-year-old granddaughter who she loves taking to church and to fun activities around town.

Sharon is one of 15 residents that currently participate in our supported employment program. The program was created three years ago for residents who have unstable incomes, are unemployed or underemployed, and are in jeopardy of losing their housing because they’re having a hard time paying rent.

Our residents are employed in various roles. For example, some serve as drivers delivering food from the Central Texas Food Bank to our food pantries, as peer recovery coaches providing support to fellow residents through on-site recovery groups, or as community engagement specialists helping to gather resident input on health activities and community outings. The program was created in partnership with Austin Clubhouse and a grant from the City of Austin.

We’ve found that meaningful work empowers our residents not only to earn an income and stay housed, but to gain a sense of purpose, form friendships and improve their mental health and well-being. This is certainly true for Sharon, who is healthier and happier than ever.

“She takes such pride in her work, making sure that residents have fresh and healthy food to eat every week,” said Sofia Barbato, Supportive Services Program Supervisor. “The joy that she brings with her to work is infectious—she brightens our residents’ day every time she delivers food to the pantry.”

Jacky Quezada is working hard to shape her own destiny. The 19-year-old sophomore at Texas State University is the first in her family to attend college and serves as a role model for her younger brother and sister. Jackie and her family moved to our Sierra Ridge community in the St. Elmo neighborhood the summer before her 5th grade year, and her mom and siblings still live there. Finding Foundation Communities changed the lives of everyone in the family by offering an affordable, stable home. Jacky credits the move with helping all of them envision a brighter future.

“It’s an incredibly positive environment, with a lot of resources,” Jacky said about living at Sierra Ridge. “It defi­nitely changed the way we look at things.”

Jacky’s parents split up when she was young and her mother had to work long hours as a nanny and cleaning houses to support her three children. When her mother was at work, Jacky took care of her younger siblings – feeding them, bathing them and putting them to bed. She had to grow up very fast.

When they moved to Sierra Ridge, Jacky and her siblings discovered a support system at the on-site Community Learning Center where they attended our after-school and summer learning programs. Jacky said going to the Learning Center made it easier for her to make friends at St. Elmo Elementary since about half of the school’s students live at our Sierra Ridge or Sierra Vista communities. She also discovered that the Learning Center staff‑ provided encouragement and assistance whenever she needed it, including when she was applying for college.

“The staff‑ helped me through the whole college application process, like proofreading my essays, and making sure I was on track,” Jacky said.

Thinking of others and wanting the best for them is second nature to Jacky, who served as a Learning Center volunteer and continues to mentor her siblings. Jacky’s brother will be a freshman at Texas A&M in the fall and her sister is not too far behind.

The support and guidance Jacky received at Sierra Ridge exemplifies­ the importance of our e‑fforts in the St. Elmo neighborhood. With Sierra Ridge and Sierra Vista directly across the street from each other, we have had the unique opportunity to help uplift an entire neighborhood of parents and students. Our goal is to provide families with a pipeline of support from pre-k to college and beyond.

For now, Jacky is soaking up her time as an independent ­ first-generation college student. She is majoring in business with a minor in fashion merchandising and hopes to attend graduate school and, one day, be her own boss. She said others who will be the ­first in their families to go to college should remember to set goals and stay positive.

“Don’t doubt yourself, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and keep working hard,” Jacky said.

It was a flyer on Kyle Fuqua’s door at Capital Studios that piqued his interest in our Free Minds program. The 31-year-old personal trainer started but never finished college due to serious missteps that landed him in legal trouble and a struggle with substance abuse. Free Minds, a free two semester college humanities course run in partnership with UT and ACC, presented just the right opportunity for Kyle to return to school. Almost 100 people applied and Kyle was accepted into the class of 20 students. His life has already changed as a result.

“There’s a magic in that class,” Kyle said about Free Minds. “We have the best professors and a glue-like bond between the classmates. We all want to see each other succeed.”

Kyle is part of Free Minds’ 10th graduating class and will join his classmates as they walk across the stage in their cap and gown this month. Each of the graduates will earn six college credits at ACC. For many students, the road to Free Minds isn’t an easy one. Free Minds is intended for adults living on low to moderate incomes who have faced barriers to education.

Kyle’s challenges began when he was 18. He committed a burglary and a robbery and was sent to prison for three years. Shortly after being released, he started using drugs. Kyle felt his life spiraling out of control and turned to
a supportive group of family and friends to help him get sober. That was almost seven years ago. Now, Kyle is living
a stable, healthy life as a resident at Capital Studios in downtown Austin and spends his days motivating others to achieve their fitness and nutrition goals.

He works at two different gyms in the Austin area. The can-do attitude Kyle employs at his job is also evident in the Free Minds classroom.

“Kyle takes his work seriously and has high standards for himself,” Vive Griffith, the director of Free Minds, said. “In many ways, he’s lifted the standards for the entire class.”

Reading Frederick Douglass’ autobiography and Plato’s The Republic ultimately helped open Kyle’s mind to new ways of thinking. Building on the enthusiasm and support from Free Minds, Kyle said he plans to enroll at ACC in the fall and is considering different degree options. He has set big goals for himself and is determined to successfully finish college so he can pursue a career he loves.

“I’m not content with just earning a paycheck,” Kyle said. “I want to do something that I’m passionate about, something that is challenging.”

For more information about Free Minds, please visit www.FreeMindsAustin.org.

Almost all of us in Austin know someone who needs an affordable place to live. The people who call Foundation Communities home work in our favorite restaurants, play music downtown, teach our kids and build our houses. They are our colleagues, friends and family members. We want to be there for them. That’s why we continue to grow.

By the end of this year, we will welcome home another 140 families to our beautiful new Homestead Oaks community at Brodie and Slaughter, close to great schools and lots of job opportunities. Most of the families that move into Homestead will earn between $20,000 to $50,000 and they’ll pay, on average, $750 in rent.

Fourteen of the 140 apartments at Homestead will be reserved for extremely low-income, formerly homeless families with young children who will pay further reduced rents and have access to intensive case management services right where they live.

We look forward to providing our newest residents with the housing + support they need to succeed. At Homestead, this includes an on-site learning center for our after-school and summer learning programs, financial stability programs to help parents manage a tight budget, and health programs like Zumba and nutrition classes.

Homestead will be the perfect place for our residents to dream big. With 29 acres of land and 500 oak trees, it is sure to be our most picturesque community to date.

We like to imagine our students at the Stevenson Family Learning Center (named in honor of our beloved supporters John and Lois Stevenson) running and playing in the wide, open spaces. There will be a playground, tree swings, and forts. In the future, we also hope to scatter walking trails
throughout the property.

Our affordable housing communities are always built to the highest green standards, and Homestead is no exception. It will be certified LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Gold or Platinum and each apartment will have its own small solar installation. We are committed to keeping our residents’ utility bills low and our environmental footprint small.

Homestead would not have been possible without the aordable housing bonds that Austin voters approved in 2013, which we leveraged to secure critical state funds. We are thankful for the city’s support. We are also incredibly grateful to all of our generous donors who fund the on-site education, financial stability, and health programs that
truly transform people’s lives.

Foundation Communities is home to more than 5,000 people – including over 800 formerly homeless children – and counting. We can’t wait to open our doors at Homestead later this year and give 140 more families a beautiful, safe, affordable place they can call their own.

July ended on an extremely high note. We just found out that we won nearly $15 million in tax credits from the state to build Cardinal Point, a new affordable housing community in the Four Points area with good schools and plenty of job opportunities. We are very happy about this news and can’t wait to welcome 120 low-income families home to Cardinal Point in 2017!

This is an important moment in our organization’s history. Cardinal Point is one of SIX (yes, SIX) new communities we have in the pipeline. Our waiting lists for housing have never been longer and the need for affordable housing in Austin is at an all-time high. We are excited to be growing.

Each of our future communities will provide more than just a roof over people’s heads. At Cardinal Point, for example, families will have access to our free education, financial stability and health programs right where they live. There will be a Community Learning Center with after-school and summer learning programs, ESL classes, and fitness classes like Zumba and yoga.

With the construction of Cardinal Point and our other new communities, we expect to welcome home 1,000 new residents by the end of 2017.

Here’s a quick rundown of what we’re planning over the next few years:

Homestead Apartments (pictured above) – Homestead Apartments is slated to open at the end of this year. It is located near Brodie and Slaughter and will be home 140 families.

Lakeline Station Apartments – Lakeline Station is scheduled to open in late 2016. It is located at 620 and 183 and will be home to 128 families.

Live Oak Trails – Live Oak Trails is scheduled to open in late 2016. It is located next to our Southwest Trails community in Oak Hill and will be home to 58 families.

Bluebonnet Studios – Bluebonnet Studios is scheduled to open in late 2016. It is located at Bluebonnet and South Lamar and will be home to 107 single adults, including low-wage workers, formerly homeless individuals, veterans, seniors and individuals with disabilities.

Garden Terrace Phase 3 – Garden Terrace Phase 3 is an expansion of our Garden Terrace community located on William Cannon and is expected to be complete by 2017. The expansion will be home to 20 single adults, very similar to the future residents at Bluebonnet.

Cardinal Point – Cardinal Point is slated to open in 2017. It will be located in the Four Points area, close to the intersection of River Place Boulevard and Four Points Drive, and will be home to 140 families.

Stay tuned for updates!

Free Minds is a free two-semester college humanities course for adults living on low to moderate incomes. The rigorous program is run in partnership with UT Austin and Austin Community College (ACC). After being accepted into the program, Crystal has spent the last year studying literature, American history, philosophy and writing.

Her favorite assignment so far has been reading Plato’s The Republic. Crystal overcame her apprehension about the dense classic early on in the course and proved to herself that she could, in fact, succeed in Free Minds. Besides
exploring new literary worlds, Crystal said Free Minds has taught her how to successfully balance her life’s competing priorities: raising her son, working full-time and completing her education.

One of the reasons Crystal was able to enroll in the program and commit to its demanding schedule is because Mikey can come with her. While Crystal is hard at work in discussion groups, Mikey participates in a Creative Action class. Creative Action is one of our nonprofit partners and the class is free for children of Free Minds’ students.

“Being able to bring Mikey made it so much easier as a single parent,” Crystal said. “He loves his class with Creative Action too.”

This month, Crystal and her fellow Free Minds students will graduate with six college credits. Crystal has already applied for financial aid at ACC and plans to enroll for the summer and fall semesters. She will be pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Music Business, Performance and Technology in order to live out her dream of working full-time in the music industry.

Newly minted with a degree, Crystal envisions many more doors opening in her and her son’s future. “Free Minds prepared me for what comes next,” she said. “The program helped open those doors.” To learn more about our Free Minds program, please visit www.freemindsaustin.org.