Accessible & Affordable!

Affordable housing is a big issue for many people and a gift when given to people who need it, people like Margarita Lopez. Margarita is a resident in Villa Lara Family Apartments in the city of Imperial, California. Given mobility by her wheelchair, affordability is only one of the deciding factors when choosing a place to live.

To her neighbors, she’s a friend, always out and always conversing. To the staff, she’s a pleasure to work with and a good student when attending Villa Lara’s classes, but who she is now is only made possible by the affordable housing that she receives at Villa Lara.

When asked how significant having an affordable home was to her, Margarita let out a chuckle; it couldn’t be more significant. To her, having a home that was both affordable and easily accessible to herself and her needed wheelchair was the reason she felt she could be happy. The stability along with her ability to do tasks like enter her room or her restroom and just be able to take care of herself were all of huge value to her.

To her, one of the biggest challenges she faced before living in Villa Lara was looking for such an affordable and accessible place. Whether the place was to expensive but perfect for her disability, or affordable, but too small or designed for one with more range of movement, there seemed to always be a reason the place wasn’t right for her. Finding Villa Lara was a miracle.

Overall, Margarita Lopeź is very happy with her home and the affordability and accessibility that came with it. She said she couldn’t explain just how grateful she really was to be living there, even explicitly saying that all changes to her life by her new residence have been good ones. For her, finding her new housing didn't mean a happier life, but rather an entirely new one. Her new residence in Villa Lara meant being closer to her family as well as being able to enjoy services provided to her, such as classes given by the property’s resident services coordinator. Having all of that be more accessible to her was a huge boost in her quality of life and in her overall happiness.