Jose, a single father and dedicated supervisor, is determined to build a bright future for his two children, Amerie and Adrian. Amerie, a lively 7-year-old, loves art and cheerleading, while 12-year-old Adrian is passionate about gaming and football. Together, they eagerly anticipate moving into Manatee Habitat’s 16-home community, Poling Gardens, next year.
Jose’s story begins with humble beginnings. When his parents immigrated from Mexico when he was just three, he navigated a childhood filled with the warmth of extended family but marked by the challenge of sharing cramped quarters with multiple families. At 14, his family purchased a home, granting him the cherished gift of his own room—a haven he now dreams of providing for Amerie and Adrian.
Driven by a desire to offer his children a stable and nurturing environment, Jose has faced the hardships of the rental market’s relentless climb. Moving three times since his daughter’s birth, he found himself back in his childhood home in 2020. The once private sanctuary of his childhood room now accommodates all three of them, and every night, after a long day of work, Jose finds himself tiptoeing into the room where his kids are already asleep, sometimes sleeping in the living room due to lack of space left in the bed. The struggles of cramped living spaces and rising rents led Jose to seek a solution, and that’s when he turned to Manatee County Habitat for Humanity.
“I want to give them the best childhood they can get,” Jose expressed, emphasizing the importance of a stable home. With his son, in particular, getting ready to enter his teenage years, Jose feels that he deserves a space to call his own. Jose’s journey is deeply rooted in the sacrifices of his father, a migrant worker who toiled in the fields of Manatee County and beyond. He attributes his success to the hard work and resilience instilled in him by his father. Raised entirely in Manatee County, Jose’s mother plays a crucial role in supporting him as a mother figure to his children when he is at work. Jose’s dream is not just a home; it’s a sanctuary where Amerie can create her art, Adrian can score goals on the virtual and real-life fields, and where he himself can finally find a peaceful night’s sleep after a day of hard work.