NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – After approximately a year of homelessness, the De Paz family was welcomed to its new fully furnished home. While sitting on her new couch, Mona Lisa De Paz fought back her tears of gratitude. "My dreams came true. I don't have to suffer with my kids no more."
This has been a long road for Mona Lisa and her family.
A dream of owning a small roadside assistance company suddenly left her and her husband, Oscar De Paz, and three boys without a home. The family was homeless for the past year, but what mattered was that Mona Lisa, her husband and her three boys remained together.
When asked if her boys questioned why their car became their home, Mona Lisa smiled and said, "No. They just lived it day by day. They never said, 'Why don't we have a house?' They considered our house (being) a car, a storage unit, a house, and we lived in a bus for some time so that was their house."
While living at the storage facility, the manager suggested the family contact the nonprofit, Family Promise of Greater New Braunfels. With the help of Family Promise, Clayton Homes and Ashley HomeStore, in just three months, Mona Lisa and Oscar have become homeowners of a three-bedroom home in New Braunfels.
"Once you allow a child to experience homelessness, they are much less likely to graduate from high school, and much more likely to have all kinds of challenges," said Family Promise CEO Claas Ehlers.
Although it was only months ago that their future seemed uncertain, Mona Lisa never lost hope and now gives thanks to those who have helped her family.
The home was donated by Clayton Homes and strategically furnished by Ashley HomeStore, leaving empty space for the family to add its special touch.
For more information about Family Promise, visit www.familypromise.org.