Stephen Mazza says his 8-year-old daughter Kendra loves her Barbie castle and the stuffed animals in her bedroom.
"Playing with her Barbie castle that she has here. Her Barbie dolls and her little Barbie furniture," he said.
But four years ago, they didn't have a home with all of these things.
"We did not have a permanent residence. I didn't know where me and my daughter were going to live from month to month basically."
They stayed with relatives and friends. Mazza said,
"Like we would stay there for like a month or two then went somewhere else."
Adopt A Family provided them with affordable housing, and now the organization is expanding in Lake Worth. They will construct 14 apartments.
Matt Constantine is the organization's CEO.
"We are going to target families with children who attend our local elementary school, Highland Elementary and we are really hopeful to connect the dots between stable housing and academic performance," said Constantine.
The organization is wanting to fill a need in the community.
"We learned that every night there are five, 10, 15 families that are moving around from place to place staying in hotels on Dixie Highway and just not a stable home."
It's affordable and stable housing that Mazza says helped him and his little girl.
"Adopt A Family actually made it easier for me to be a better father to Kendra as well, with all of the services that they provide," said Mazza.
Construction is scheduled to begin next month, and Adopt A Family hopes to have the apartments completed within a year. It's part of a $6 million project, which includes the organization's housing program for the families they will be helping.
Adopt A Family is located at 1712 2nd Ave N in Lake Worth.
For more information, call 561-253-1361.
