HOME COMING; FAMILIES BUILDING OWN FUTURE.Byline: Sonia Giordani Daily News Staff Writer In the precious wall space just above his pillow pillow Medtalk A functional 'unit' used to assess the severity of orthopnea in Pts with CHF, which refers to the number of pillows a Pt needs to sleep comfortably. See Congestive heart failure. , 8-year-old Richard Cerda has tacked up a pencil sketch sketch, a rapidly executed kind of pictorial note-taking. The sketch is not usually intended as an autonomous work of art, although many have been considered masterpieces in their own right. of his favorite cartoon character, Bart Simpson, and another of a race car he drew himself. This is one of the luxuries of having the top bunk bunk, bunker large storage bin. bunk forage forage, usually ensilage stored in a large storage bunk and made available to cattle or other livestock along a face of the storage. all to himself in the bedroom he shares with his family. Below him, Richard's sister, Diana, and baby brother, Joseph, sleep together in the bottom bunk. And just inches away sleep his parents, Maria and Rogelio Cerda. ``A house will be better,'' said Richard, ``because it would be bigger, and we could have our own room.'' Richard and his family will start work on their future home today in a building blitz blitz n. 1. a. A blitzkrieg. b. A heavy aerial bombardment. 2. An intense campaign: a media blitz focused on young voters. 3. organized by Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity, nonprofit ecumenical Christian organization that enables low-income people to own affordable, livable housing. Headquartered in Americus, Ga., it was founded in 1976 by businessman Millard Fuller and his wife. , a nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. dedicated to helping low-income families build affordable housing. The Cerdas are one of nine local families chosen by the organization at the Willis Avenue Development in Panorama City. Nine new homes will go up on a vacant lot now frequented by drug users and gangs. Founded in 1976, Habitat for Humanity International Habitat For Humanity International (HFHI) (generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or simply Habitat) is an international, ecumenical Christian, non-governmental, non-profit organization devoted to building "simple, decent, and affordable" housing. has coordinated the efforts of volunteers and of donors who supply construction supplies with the initiative of more than 55,000 low-income families whose dream is to build a home of their own. The Willis Avenue project is the first new housing development pursued by the organization's San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. and Santa Clarita valleys The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. affiliate since the 1994 Northridge Earthquake The Northridge earthquake occurred on January 17, 1994 at 4:31 AM Pacific Standard Time in the city of Los Angeles, California. The earthquake had a "strong" moment magnitude of 6. . About 800 families applied for a chance at the housing. ``We all know the feeling of working for something that is your own,'' said Karla Alltizer, chairwoman of Habitat for Humanity's family selection committee. ``There is an emotional investment involved in this. We look for that kind of initiative.'' The families selected buy their future house with a 1 percent down payment and an interest-free mortgage. Families are also expected to invest at least 500 hours in building their future home. ``This is in no way a giveaway,'' said Alltizer. For Maria Cerda, a new home will mean a new start in life. ``I spend most of my time here,'' said Cerda, 33, alluding to the single-bedroom apartment her family has lived in for more than four years. ``It is sad. I feel jailed in. It is so small.'' Her family has struggled to maintain the apartment as cracks in the ceilings grew wider and other amenities grew scarcer. Water leaks from the walls and ceilings, and their heating unit no longer works. The family is expected to move into its new home - complete with heat - by the winter, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Jennifer Rose, a spokeswoman for Habitat for Humanity. Which home will be the Cerdas' will remain a mystery until work is completed on all nine homes. The idea, Rose said, is to foster a cooperative spirit among the families by having them work as a community in building their future neighborhood. Two of the homes will be completed in the next two weeks. The balance will be finished by the end of the year. ``This program tries to eliminate the issue of affordable housing for these families by helping to lift them out of the cycle of poverty,'' said Rose. The Chagolla family is among them. Maria Guadalupe Chagolla, her husband and four children have lived in a converted garage of approximately 400 square feet for more than 11 years. ``This is a great opportunity for us,'' Chagolla said. ``It's like winning the lottery.'' ABOUT HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL Founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller Linda Fuller (birthdate) with her husband, Millard, founded Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI). They launched the ecumenical Christian housing ministry in 1976, after pioneering a low-cost housing program in rural southwest (1968 - 1972) followed by three years of similar , Habitat for Humanity International has built more than 55,000 homes worldwide for working people unable to afford to buy their own homes. Habitat for Humanity's San Fernando-Santa Clarita affiliate was founded in 1990 and has built or rehabilitated 29 homes throughout the area. The cost of homes in the affiliate area range from $75,000 to $90,000 each. For more information about the organization or about volunteering, call (818) 765-2073. CAPTION(S): Photo, Box Photo: (Color) Maria Cerda and her children, Richard, left, Diana and Joseph, sit in their one-bedroom North Hills apartment. Terri Thuente/Daily News Box: (Color) ABOUT HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL (See Text) |
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