Esperanza is a mother of three children aged 14, 13, and 5. She is also mother to Chapo and Knighty, her teacup Yorkie and kitten. So it is no wonder that, while renovating her new south side home, Esperanza had to work to keep children and animals clear of the construction zone.
“Debris is flying everywhere,” she explained laughing, “so try not to get in the way!”
Esperanza is well informed when it comes to home construction. She has worked in the construction trade for over five years now. Purchasing and renovating a foreclosed property made sense for Esperanza, as she knew she could save money, do the repairs herself, and create the home she always wanted: “Working here on my own is saving money, I have more money to put into the house…I’d like it to be done the right way the first time.”
She is a teacher, informally, as many parents are. She is a promoter and champion of her children. Her oldest child, Alyssa, got to pick out the paint swatches for her very own bedroom colors: red and gray. Her other daughter Alexis? Pink and purple. To pass on her skills to her children, Esperanza took the upstairs room with a large, triple-segmented window overlooking South Fifth Street, and converted it into the family “work station.”
Here she teaches her children how to take care of their home by painting doors, and doing other small tasks to help complete the new home. Thanks to Esperanza, this once vacant, foreclosed property is now a cozy home maintained by the whole family.
If ACTS’ mission is empowerment through homeownership, then Esperanza embodies a woman on that mission.
Empowering her children, her family, and her neighborhood, through the hard work of homeownership and renovation.
Thanks to the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Servive for the video. Check out the rest of their coverage on Esperanza HERE
