Martinez/Vital Family First to Buy CCLT Home

Patty Martinez and Ruben Vital hold the distinction of being the first homebuyers at CCLT. The opportunity to buy a home in the summer of 2000 couldn’t have come at a better time: the family had just relocated to Oregon from San Diego and needed to find housing quickly for their seven children.

After living briefly with Ruben’s aunt, the family stayed at the Annie Ross Shelter for homeless families in Milwaukie. They then found transitional housing with the shelter’s help, and got connected to the land trust through shelter staff.

Patty and Ruben learned they qualified for CCLT’s buyer-initiated program, which at the time allowed families to select the home they wanted and obtain a grant from the land trust toward the purchase price.

After looking at several homes, Patty, Ruben and the kids settled nicely into a four-bedroom home on a quiet street in Milwaukie, and found the stability that had been lacking in Ruben’s old San Diego neighborhood. Today, the Vital children are thriving in a stable environment that brings true meaning to the word “home.” Patty and Ruben are putting their hard-earned dollars into an investment in the family’s future, and are thankful they are off the “rental roller coaster.”

“Living in our home is like a blessing. We have a safe place to live, and my kids don’t have to change schools often like they did before,” says Patty.

back