An elementary school teacher, Danna lived in a small 3-bedroom apartment with her parents and her sister for over ten years.

To save on expenses, a bedroom was rented out, forcing Danna’s sister to sleep in the living room. Their lot is split with another tenant, and even the driveway is shared. It felt like they needed permission to exist in their own space.

“Everyone wants to come home and know ‘This is my home, and no one can take that from me.’ That’s all I want,” said Danna.

Lacking space and privacy, being home was exhausting for the Hernandez family. Then they discovered mold.

“Every day I wake up congested, it’s hard to breathe. It’s exhausting waking up, and even going to bed isn’t a relief.”

The relief only came when they would leave the house for work and school. Finally, Danna decided to act. She remembered a friend of hers telling her about her experience building her very own home, and when she later saw a post on Habitat Ventura’s Facebook page, she knew it was time to act.

When Danna applied to Habitat Ventura, she was overwhelmed by the amount of applicants - she was sure she wouldn’t be selected. Then she received the call while she was in her classroom with her students. As she struggled to hide her tears, her students wanted to know what was going on.

“My dream came true,” she told them. “I’m going to have my own home!”