The Rodriguez Family

The Rodriguez home is always full of energy. Between the cartoons on TV and assortment of toys lying on the floor mixed with the excitement of the children running around, there is never a dull moment with this family of five. Originally from El Salvador, Edwin and Dinora Rodriguez left the country to escape the ongoing civil war and moved to Virginia in 1990. They settled in Alexandria, close to Edwin’s two brothers who had also moved to Fairfax County. Ever since then they have lived in the Northern Virginia area, moving between houses trying to find a home that is affordable.

For the past three years, the Rodriguez’s have lived in a small two-bedroom apartment in Alexandria. While their home is kept very neat and tidy, there just isn’t enough space for the five members of their family to live comfortably. Currently their daughter, Karen (age 6), shares a bedroom with her parents, and their two sons, Christian (age 12) and Edwin (age 3), share the other bedroom. In speaking about their currently living situation, Mr. Rodriguez complains that, “the rent we pay is too high, it takes up too much of the money that we have and there isn’t even enough space for my family.”

Edwin and Dinora first heard about Habitat for Humanity through their cousin, who is also a Habitat homeowner. After they were recommended to look into the program, they filled out an application and were very excited when they found out they had a chance of owning their own place. So far, they have described their experience with Habitat as, “very organized and helpful which has made the process very easy so far.”

As a construction worker by profession with a lot of experience building homes, Edwin is excited about helping with the build; however, his wife Dinora is a little more apprehensive. Although they are slightly nervous about having to move away from their current home forcing their children to change schools, the Rodriguez family is excited about the opportunity to own their own place. They look forward to having more space for their family, especially for the children to be able to have their own rooms and more space to play. When asked if there was anything else they would like people to know, Mr. Rodriguez just smiled and replied, “We can’t wait to get out of here and into a new place to live!”

Learn more about the work of Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia and the ways that we are transforming lives.