Impact Stories
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“We want to share our story so that others can hear our experiences–both the good and bad–and in some way maybe benefit from them.”
Genaro and Maria’s life was turned upside-down after their young son Amos was diagnosed with cancer in 2005. To care for their child Genaro worked multiple jobs to pay for medical bills, and Maria quit her job to stay at the hospital with Amos.
The medical bills were enormous and their variable-rate mortgage kept increasing until they were forced to file for bankruptcy and relinquish their home. They lived in a garage without heat, kitchen or bathroom. During this terrible time, Amos received an organ transplant and beat cancer.
“I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what we went through to get here, but living at Bellrose has helped me understand that there are good people out there, who work hard, and who live for more than just a paycheck–a real community.”
Their good luck continued when they received a call that they had been accepted at Bellrose Station, one of ROSE’s affordable housing communities in the Lents neighborhood.
The family was overjoyed to have a clean, safe home close to Amos’s school. Genaro and Maria also discovered a sense of community they have never experienced before. There were after-school programs and summer camps for kids, community potlucks, and gardens.
