Breaking the Cycle, Building a Home

Breaking the Cycle, Building a Home

Yamaris has always believed her future could look different from her past. After watching her family navigate years of renting, she set out to create a life of stability and choice. Now, as she builds her first home with Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity, she’s doing more than becoming a homeowner. She is breaking a cycle. 

“Milwaukee is my first home. I hold it close to my heart,” Yamaris said. “My family is from Puerto Rico; that’s my second home.”

As a child, Yamaris spent every summer in Puerto Rico while living with her parents in Milwaukee during the school year. Today, she rents the upper level of a duplex, but for as long as she can remember, she’s dreamed of owning a home of her own.

Watching her parents navigate life as renters shaped that dream. Her father struggled to find financial stability, and the family moved frequently. Her mother, however, stayed in rentals for longer periods of time, providing a sense of consistency that Yamaris admired. Those experiences helped define what she wanted, and didn’t want, for her own future.

“For me it was the stability, being able to have a spot and not constantly moving,” Yamaris said. “I have three sisters on my Dad’s side and I’m the youngest. I’ve seen a lot of stuff, a lot of moving. I just wanted that structure.”

Today, Yamaris is a Spanish teacher and has found that stability in her own life. She has built a successful career and is now in a place where she can make her dream come true. She became the first person in her family to graduate from college. Without anyone to guide her through the process, she had to figure much of it out on her own.

“It was confusing to me,” Yamaris said. “I didn’t know about grants or scholarships. I started doing my own research and made my own decisions. I was able to graduate college debt free and I feel like that’s a really good thing.” 

After graduating college and establishing her teaching career, Yamaris set her sights on homeownership. 

“I was searching online for first-time homebuyer programs and ran across a lot of them,” Yamaris said. “I found Habitat for Humanity and liked it because of the structure, volunteering, hands on, and learning about first-time homebuying. I’m new to this and don’t know anything. This program is not just stepping in there scared. Any questions I have, the staff is so helpful. It’s not just like in the desert alone.”

Yamaris is now building a brand-new home in partnership with Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity. Although she is the first in her family to purchase a home, her family, especially her Mom, played a large role in Yamaris going after her dream.

“My mom always pushes me,” Yamaris said. “She always said when it comes to your job and what you do for you, that’s nothing to play with. She always poured that into me. My dad did do federal time and wasn’t there for a good portion of my life, although we kept in contact. That pushed me to mature more than I would have had to. Those are the cards I was dealt. As the youngest of four, I’ve seen a lot of stuff and learned a lot. Coming from a Hispanic and Latino family, a lot of times you see women are very strong and strong willed. Another thing is I’m not really religious, but I believe in God. Faith has helped me and so has my mom.”

When Yamaris imagines life in her new home, it’s often the simple moments that come to mind.

“I love music,” Yamaris said. “When people live downstairs, it restricts me. I don’t want to be inconsiderate with my music but in my own house, music could play through the whole house and it wouldn’t bother anyone. I’ve also always wanted to have a backyard and grill. That’s really big. I grew up with family grilling a lot. And you can do anything in a backyard: birthday, baby shower, anything. One of the holidays that I really love is Thanksgiving, catching up with family, talking about what you’re thankful for. I could have my first Thanksgiving in my house.”

She is also excited to decorate her new home, bringing in old and new elements.

“I love care bears,” Yamaris said. “My apartment is full of them. I want to continue that in my house. I like that it doesn’t limit me on color. They are positive colors and I want something positive. I also take photos and have different cameras: Fuji, Kodak, Cannon. I like vintage pictures and I feel like I’m a nostalgic person. I like that feeling and want to keep that. I also want to make a music station.”

Before Yamaris moves in and decorates her home, she gets to help build it. As part of the program, Yamaris will complete sweat equity hours, Habitat’s unique alternative to a traditional down payment. These hours are spent on the build site helping construct homes or volunteering in our Habitat ReStores. She is excited to be part of the process.

“While growing up, my Dad used to do construction,” Yamaris said. “I’ve seen minor stuff and drywall done to a house. But I’ve never seen a house built from scratch. It ties back to me as a teacher. People ask me why I like teaching and it’s because students come in on the first day and at the end of the year, I see the progress. I think that’s the most exciting part. Seeing it go from zero to 100.”   

As Yamaris continues building her home, she reflects on how she got to this moment and what this moment will mean for her future.

“I’m doing it,” Yamaris said. “My family always rented. Homeownership has always been one of my dreams. I have a bit of an old school view, doing school, college, that type of stuff. That’s what’s working best for me right now. As I continue, this is the next milestone. Coming from a family where people have struggled with substance abuse, from the South Side, sometimes our surroundings are our biggest setback. I don’t want to be set back; I want to control something. That’s the biggest part. I don’t want to continue in a cycle where I am enclosed. Being a woman, being Hispanic, being in Milwaukee, growing up in the South Side, everything was against me. I want to beat the odds. At this point, I feel like I’m doing that.”

By building and purchasing her home, Yamaris isn’t just achieving her dream. She is creating the stability she longed for as a child and breaking a cycle for generations to come.