The holiday season is a good time to remember the importance of family. It’s a lesson that Crystal and Cesar Lucca of Park View Terrace have never forgotten. We first wrote about the Lucca family in 2008, and felt this would be a good time to check in and see how they’re doing.
Originally from Poway and with a family relationship with the city dating back two generations (her grandparents lived on a ranch eventually bought by the city and now known as the Garden Road Preserve), Crystal found herself unable to afford the high costs of living in North County. As her financial situation deteriorated, the Luccas found themselves forced to choose between keeping close to their support network and providing the bare essentials.
With their third child on the way and heavily in debt, the Luccas were drawn to Park View as a stepping stone towards a better life. At the time the property – winner of the Award of Honor from the California Redevelopment Agency and built by Sun Country - had just passed its 10th anniversary of providing upscale affordable housing to the Poway community it services.
The Luccas move there provided both economic and emotional stability. It eliminated the concerns Crystal and Cesar had about keeping their jobs without having to travel an hour or two (with the costs associated with that travel and attendant daycare). And it meant she wouldn’t have to tear her children from the community she had always called home. They would have a chance to attend the same schools – and have the same opportunities – that other children took for granted.
“When I met Crystal, her family was in debt and they were wrestling with ways to improve their financial situation.” reports Learning Center Coordinator Jesse Stevenson. She took it upon herself to learn about the Family Asset Building Program as she searched for something to give her hope while trying to save towards a bigger future!
The FAB Program is run by Community HousingWorks, developer and owner of Park Terrace and seven other affordable rental properties in Poway, including the nationally-renowned SOLARA. “The program caught my eye because the previous affordable housing property we lived at had no self-improvement classes” Crystal recalls, adding; “that class made a huge difference in the way I looked at the world.”
“At Community HousingWorks, Crystal and others like her are taught courses on how to succeed in life.” says CEO Sue Reynolds. “We train people on how to make a budget, show up for work on time, and keep house. These are lessons that many assume we all know. But…what if nobody ever teaches you these lessons?”
Still, this wasn’t enough for Crystal Lucca - an ambitious woman who set her sites on more than just getting by. She wanted to rid her family of debt. She aspired to be a leader.
Crystal looked forward to taking classes at Community HousingWorks, and soaked up information like a sponge. Less than two years after moving to Park View, her family declared itself debt-free. She now teaches the Financial Fitness courses offered at the property. And she’s become a role model for others.
"Before taking Financial Fitness, "I wasn't managing my money nearly as well as I thought I was". Crystal admits now. “Now I know how to properly maintain a budget and fix my credit report."
And since learning how to improve her family’s financial fitness, Crystal has improved their credit score by over 100 points. She’s now working hard towards her future financial goals, and has made progress by:
Keeping, maintaining and sticking to a fixed monthly budget
Enrolling in an Individual Development Account to help her to buy a home
Opening a college savings account for all three of her children
Saving money for a rainy day
According to a study now underway for Housing Solutions of Poway, there are hundreds of residents in the city’s affordable rent program with a family history here. “It’s comforting to know we’ve been able to make such a huge difference in so many lives.” says Ms. Reynolds.
The study is expected to be completed and be available for public discussion early in 2010.
"The City in the Country" has always held a piece of my heart and memories from childhood!” says the mother of three about her determination to make life better for her children. That probably explains why she and Cesar are now making huge strides towards owning their own home in Poway.
And somehow - at a time when we all feel a need to look for heroes – it’s good to know there’s one living in the heart of Poway.
