When the city condemns your house and schedules it for demolition, what can you do? On this episode of The Echoes Podcast, we talk about the crisis of affordable housing in San Antonio. Our guest, Elizabeth Cruz, a licensed clinical social worker and project manager at San Antonio Affordable Housing, sheds light on “Operation Rebuild,” an initiative focused on saving homes from demolition and restoring hope to families. Join hosts Marcus Goodyear and Camille Hall-Ortega as they discuss the challenges, emotional impact, and victories involved in rebuilding not just homes, but lives.
Do you like this story? You’ll love Echoes Magazine. Print subscriptions are free from the H. E. Butt Foundation:
Subscribe – Echoes Magazine (hebfdn.org)
Read the Echoes article that inspired this episode:
It’s Your House Now – Community Engagement (hebfdn.org)
Watch the short film “Everyone Needs a Home” for free:
Other resources on the Demolition Diversion program:
City Recognizes First Home Selected for Demolition Diversion – City of San Antonio
00:00:00:00 – 00:00:26:03
Camille Hall Ortega
What does it mean to have a place to call home? The question may seem simple. It likely conjures up feelings of warmth and security. Being provided for. But perhaps the better question to ask is what does it mean to have no place to call home? This is the question that faces all too many of our neighbors.
News Headline
It’s been called the perfect storm with rising costs.
00:00:26:04 – 00:01:03:02
News Headline
Rent has become out of reach for most local families, and though there aren’t enough affordable housing units either to help them.
Camille Hall Ortega
For many in America and around the world, the reasons for housing challenges run the gamut, ranging from wages that don’t keep up with inflation, rising property taxes and gentrification, folks falling on hard times like unexpected medical issues that lead to insurmountable financial challenges, or simply growing older, dealing with income constraints and struggling to keep up with required maintenance on a home leading to its disrepair.
00:01:03:04 – 00:01:30:12
News Headline
Cost of living grow along with a shortage of affordable housing units. It’s two reasons city leaders say renters are willing to stay in a property filled with problems and filth.
Camille Hall Ortega
For instance, according to a 2021 report from the University of Texas at Austin, 500 homes are demolished every year in San Antonio due to disrepair, and San Antonio has led in the number of demolitions ordered compared to all other Texas cities.
00:01:30:14 – 00:02:04:18
Camille Hall Ortega
Demolitions mean more neighbors without homes, so in 2022, the city piloted a different approach that would rebuild instead of tear down. I’m Camille Hall Ortega from the H. E. Butt Foundation. This is The Echoes podcast. On today’s episode, we welcome our guest, Elizabeth Cruz. Elizabeth is a social worker for San Antonio Affordable Housing, and she’s the project manager at the center of their initiative called Project Rebuild, an effort featured in a recent Echoes article.
00:02:04:20 – 00:02:43:04
Camille Hall Ortega
I’m here with my co-host Marcus Goodyear. Welcome, Elizabeth.
Marcus Goodyear
Hello, Elizabeth.
Elizabeth Cruz
Hi, Marcus.
Camille Hall Ortega
We’re glad to have you. We know we give a little intro upfront about your work, but it’s very brief. And so we’ll want to hear just all about what you’re up to in your role over at San Antonio Affordable Housing. What do you do?
Elizabeth Cruz
I am a licensed clinical social worker, and I am the program manager for Operation Rebuild, and I have the pleasure and honor to work with homeowners to help them restore their homes.
00:02:43:06 – 00:03:14:24
Elizabeth Cruz
For a lot of these homeowners. These were homes that their they inherited from their parents or a sibling, or this is the home that they raised their children in. These homes are deemed either dangerous premises or have a demolition order, and to be able to restore that for these homeowners has been just I can’t even put into words, but as I’m saying that I have goosebumps.
00:03:14:26 – 00:03:43:15
Camille Hall Ortega
Yes, I’m sure I can only imagine. What would you say are some of your favorite parts of your job? Or what are the wins that you like to celebrate in your job?
Elizabeth Cruz
I’m thinking about the most recent one that I feel is a homeowner who had lost hope. Didn’t understand and, continues to ask me, why do you care and can’t even fathom the idea that someone would help?
00:03:43:17 – 00:04:19:18
Elizabeth Cruz
And to get to the point where I just last week said, are you beginning to feel a little more hopeful? And she said, I am now.
Marcus Goodyear
That’s beautiful. What do you tell somebody when they say, why do you care? I mean, what’s your answer in that situation?
Elizabeth Cruz
Because that is what I do. I care. I am privileged to work in a profession or have a job that aligns with my personal values.
00:04:19:20 – 00:04:40:11
Elizabeth Cruz
I get to serve. I get to share. And I get to be the hands and feet of Jesus, you know? And I am a person of faith, so I care because he cared.
Camille Hall-Ortega
That’s so good. I want to give a little bit of context for the listeners. Can you just tell us a little bit more about Operation Rebuild?
00:04:40:12 – 00:05:16:15
Elizabeth Cruz
What is it look like? So Operation Rebuilds is a demolition diversion program, and a lot of homeowners are losing their homes because they can’t afford to restore to rehab their homes. And we were creating a situation for homeowners that cannot afford to fix their homes and have to get a notice to vacate and have to leave their homes, and they end up experiencing homelessness and we get to restore their home.
00:05:16:17 – 00:05:39:25
Elizabeth Cruz
I think the story that was featured, this homeowner received a notice to vacate and she, left her home and just said she found herself praying that God, send someone to save her home. And I was looking for her and had. It took me about three months to find her.
Camille Hall-Ortega
This is Olga.
Elizabeth Cruz
Yes.
Marcus Goodyear
Yes, Olga Escobedo.
00:05:39:26 – 00:06:04:22
Marcus Goodyear
Who we’ve featured in Echoes. Now, you said it took you a while to find her. Can you say more about that?
Elizabeth Cruz
When they receive a notice to vacate, then they have to go. So we’re working with the development service department to. Okay. If you deem it a dangerous premise put them on our list. Let me find them a let me help them relocate.
00:06:04:24 – 00:06:28:09
Elizabeth Cruz
I spent a lot of time finding our homeowners. A lot of time.
Marcus Goodyear
And what kinds of places did you find them in, and were they living in apartments?
Elizabeth Cruz
With family. No. They can’t afford. They can’t afford to get an apartment so with family or friends. Some have even ended up in the Haven for Hope, the shelter here in San Antonio.
00:06:28:11 – 00:06:59:11
Camille Hall-Ortega
Wow. And so I imagine that even just that those moments of being able to to find them that that’s a win, right. That that you’re reaching out with hope for them for sure.
Elizabeth Cruz
For for for sure. It’s a win. And, a little interesting story with Olga’s case. I involved the family. A lot of the homeowners are, elderly, and I involve the whole family.
00:06:59:12 – 00:07:32:06
Elizabeth Cruz
What? Who’s your support system? Because the support system will benefit from the generational wealth that hopefully we’re able to give back. And also, it gives that homeowner an opportunity to be successful. And I invited all the kids. Everybody was involved. One of her daughters, in Atlanta, she came to visit and she told her mother, I want to meet this woman.
00:07:32:08 – 00:07:58:27
Elizabeth Cruz
And so we went to our favorite taco place, and she sat across from me with arms crossed. What’s the catch? And I was like, no catch. This truly is, a great program. Whatever’s paid out in the rehab of the home, she has to just commit to keeping her home for 20 years and enter into a covenant with us.
00:07:58:29 – 00:08:25:06
Elizabeth Cruz
And so her sister said, yeah, Mama pays it back with time. And I said, that’s exactly right. Wow. And now, every time the sister comes in from Atlanta, she tells her mother, you know, invite Liz out. Let’s go get a taco. Yeah.
Camille Hall-Ortega
I love that people might find it hard to believe that they’re reaping these benefits without a catch.
00:08:25:14 – 00:08:53:07
Camille Hall-Ortega
What? How do people qualify for Operation Rebuild?
Elizabeth Cruz
So there is an income eligibility, and we have to submit, all the documents to the city. They get verified, income verified, and they’re, you know, whatever they need. I help with documentation, I help them look, let’s go request, your award letter. That’s so so there’s a lot of steps.
00:08:53:10 – 00:09:18:09
Elizabeth Cruz
And so I help facilitate that process, make it easier for them. They can’t have any lien on their property. And we help with that as well. Yeah. The homeowner that now has a little bit of help. We had to help her remove a deceased brother from her title, and it was off. And it was just an oversight.
00:09:18:11 – 00:09:44:29
Elizabeth Cruz
And the title company where they see the legal paperwork and then with an attorney, I was like, what do I need to do? And the attorney said, hey, she’s the homeowner. And here’s the language here. I don’t speak legal, right?
Camille Hall-Ortega
Neither do I.
Elizabeth Cruz
So making connections. You know that attorney he’s someone that’s really invested in the West Side.
00:09:45:00 – 00:10:12:12
Elizabeth Cruz
We want a 20 year commitment. We want to give them a product that will last, 20 years. You know, the buzzword is trauma informed approach, but we also give a trauma informed response when we work with the homeowners. Any contractor that touches our families, we talk to them. We kind of set up, an expectation of how we will do this work for this family.
00:10:12:15 – 00:10:33:17
Elizabeth Cruz
Getting the links with DSD, to help us with some of these fees and just building them a relationship with them. So before you give them a notice to vacate, hey, go out with Liz and let her talk to the families. That way I don’t lose track of them.
Marcus Goodyear
Right? Right.
Elizabeth Cruz
And I get to find out where they’re going.
00:10:33:18 – 00:10:57:21
Camille Hall-Ortega
That’s great? We’re talking a lot about Operation Rebuild, but I know folks are going to be interested in what are people facing when it comes to affordable housing. I know, Marcus, you were reading up on some statistics even just lately, right? Just seeing what is what is the housing situation look like in San Antonio?
00:10:57:21 – 00:11:24:16
Marcus Goodyear
Typically, yeah. The median price of a home in San Antonio is over $300,000 right now. The median price and, rent for a 400 square foot apartment is starting at 650, which $650 a month seems affordable. But for 400ft², I think the room I’m in right now, it’s bigger than 400ft². And, you know, if you’re trying to get a house, you’re looking at potentially thousands of dollars in rent every month.
00:11:24:18 – 00:11:47:14
Marcus Goodyear
So what are what are the difficulties that people are facing who can’t find affordable housing? It’s just not an option for them.
Elizabeth Cruz
That’s the buzz word affordable housing. You have developers saying, oh, we are building affordable houses and I’m this is my sarcastic voice. Yeah. But it isn’t housed there. It isn’t affordable for the community.
00:11:47:16 – 00:12:19:15
Elizabeth Cruz
And as you mentioned, let’s say the $650 is the one. You’re on a fixed income when all you get is $900 a month. In order to rent an apartment, you have to make, some places expect you to make three times the rent and good affordable housing, say two times the rent, well, two times of $650 already puts you over but $1,300 and they’re only getting $900, so they’re ineligible.
00:12:19:15 – 00:12:49:12
Elizabeth Cruz
So they can’t even afford to get an apartment with their income. So these developments that are going on around San Antonio are still unaffordable. And even though they have affordable in their name. So that’s a problem. Right now I’m working with four families that I need help relocating them. And we’re going to pay for their temporary lodgings.
00:12:49:15 – 00:13:11:13
Elizabeth Cruz
And I still can’t get them because they still have to meet that two times the requirement.
Typically, yeah.
What do you wish people knew? Specifically San Antonians. What do you wish they knew about housing issues that a lot of people don’t know?
Elizabeth Cruz
If we start with just neighborhoods and some of the homeowners, they don’t wake up saying, I want my house to just fall apart.
00:13:11:15 – 00:13:35:25
Elizabeth Cruz
I just wanted to fall apart. Who does? Who says that? No one, they want their homes. They want to take care of the homes. Some of the individuals can afford some of the repairs. Some of them are too old to take care of their lot, and or have mobility issues. That shouldn’t be a reason for you to lose your home.
00:13:35:28 – 00:13:55:06
Elizabeth Cruz
We have lost our humanity and knowing our neighbors, helping our neighbors. Instead of complaining to the city, going to your neighbor and saying, hey, is there something I can help you with? Or I’ll pull out the trash for you. And I have a grandchild. You know, I’m going to pay my grandchild 20 bucks to go mow your lawn.
00:13:55:06 – 00:14:33:13
Elizabeth Cruz
Is that okay? You know, whatever it is, we’re just losing our humanity. And that sense of neighbors. Neighbors helping neighbors. It’s just becoming something of the past.
Camille Hall-Ortega
That’s huge. Because I think, you know, for people of faith, we know that we’re called to help others. Just like you said, be the hands and feet of Jesus. And so we need to be mindful of what that looks like, specifically with these challenges of with housing challenges.
00:14:33:16 – 00:14:56:12
Camille Hall-Ortega
Now, I’m curious because with Operation Rebuild, you’ve told us you’ve told us a lot about the process. So how people qualify and then what the process looks like for while their home is being rebuilt and, kind of what some of the stipulations are for them to be able to to have that, you know, enjoy that rebuilt home.
00:14:56:18 – 00:15:25:24
Camille Hall-Ortega
But we know that it kind of starts with a home in disrepair that’s been identified for demolition. And we know demolition is not cheap. It’s expensive. Right.
Elizabeth Cruz
Yes. And, homeowners are held responsible for the demolition. They have to pay that fee.
Camille Hall-Ortega
Whoa.
Elizabeth Cruz
Yes. So it started there, and I, a council woman, and D5 decided.
00:15:26:01 – 00:15:43:07
Elizabeth Cruz
There’s too many demolitions in this district. We need to do something about it.
Marcus Goodyear
So imagine I receive a demolition notice and I have to pay for that. But the reason I’m receiving the demolition notice is I don’t have enough money to take care of my home. I mean, obviously, I’m not going to be able to pay for the demolition.
00:15:43:07 – 00:16:15:02
Marcus Goodyear
So what happens then?
Elizabeth Cruz
There’s a lien on the property.
Camille Hall-Ortega
Oh, gosh.
Elizabeth Cruz
There’s, And then and it’s really just so counterproductive. There are other programs prior to receiving a demolition order that you can apply for. There. The city has a lot of rehab programs, but, you know, they receive thousands and thousands of applications, and then you have to narrow it down and, oh, we can only fix a thousand this year.
00:16:15:06 – 00:16:49:19
Elizabeth Cruz
So that’s 2000 other homes that are not being addressed. And then you talk about accessibility because these applications have to be filled out and everything uploaded in a computer. Well, what happens to individuals that don’t have access to a computer or the internet or, you know, it’s like, who doesn’t have that? There’s a lot of people that still do not have access to a computer or an internet, and we have to help facilitate that.
00:16:49:22 – 00:17:16:24
Elizabeth Cruz
But let’s talk about other programs, other supports and, and really building a relationship with them. Let’s, let’s see if there’s other ways we can help them.
Camille Hall-Ortega
Preventative.
Elizabeth Cruz
Absolutely. Instead of, yeah, preventive instead of reactive. And sometimes it’s as simple as, helping a homeowner clear out their lot. There’s a lot of trash, there’s a lot of debris and a lot of the elderly, sometimes their children, their adult children.
00:17:16:26 – 00:17:45:10
Elizabeth Cruz
Well, you know, we’ll take it to mom’s house and dad’s house, you know, and leave things, cars that break down and things like that. So there’s a lot of reasons why things get, a lot of there’s a lot of stories, but getting to the bottom and seeing how we can resolve, and bring solutions that don’t require the demolition order and really adding more injury.
00:17:45:12 – 00:18:18:07
Elizabeth Cruz
Yeah. Retraumatizing the homeowners.
Camille Hall-Ortega
Amazing. A recent issue of echoes. We told the story of Olga Escobedo, which we’ve we’ve spoken a little bit about her. We tell the story of what you’ve mentioned, that that unfortunately rings true for many people in San Antonio facing the same issues, which is that she was, you know, elderly. She inherited a home from her parents and the home began to fall down around her because she couldn’t afford the repair and she couldn’t do it herself.
00:18:18:14 – 00:18:44:03
Camille Hall-Ortega
And so she was facing her home was facing demolition. And we heard the story of you finding her and letting her know that she was going to be a part of Operation Rebuild.
Elizabeth Cruz
Well, I’m for me, it truly was an honor. Working with the family. And I just didn’t work with her. I worked with the family.
00:18:44:05 – 00:19:12:08
Elizabeth Cruz
We said we have many meetings. I never wanted it. When she signed documents, I never wanted her there alone. I wanted her support to be there and witness. I explained things over and over. Because if I don’t understand legal, you know, and I have a master’s degree, I can’t imagine some others that, you know, maybe just went to high school and maybe didn’t finish some that didn’t finish high school.
00:19:12:13 – 00:19:36:26
Elizabeth Cruz
So explaining the terminology, the legal documents and what it meant, you know, she was just I, I just want my house. She was ready to sign. And I was like, wait a minute, wait a minute. I really want you to understand. And I want your children to understand, to commitment.
Camille Hall-Ortega
It is a commitment.
Elizabeth Cruz
And it’s an ongoing.
00:19:37:02 – 00:20:01:19
Elizabeth Cruz
We go have a taco at least once a month, where there’s still some things. It’s the support that she needs to be successful. The, Olga that I started working with is not the Olga that I live with once a month now. She’s just happy in her house. She shows me every time she does something different in her house.
00:20:01:19 – 00:20:24:08
Elizabeth Cruz
And it’s just so beautiful to see her in her space and. And it be a space. And she’s on top of everything. Hey, look, that nail looks like it’s coming out, that it’s. You know, she is on it. I changed the filters they have to offer. They have to attend the home maintenance, class.
00:20:24:08 – 00:20:55:29
Elizabeth Cruz
I went with her and her daughter, and I, we sat, we took we all took the class. It was very informative. These are things that she may not have done before. Well, let me just go back a little further. Her home never had central air or heat.
Camille Hall-Ortega
It’s hard to imagine in South Texas. I know, you know, there may be listeners in other states where that that could be commonplace to not have central AC, but it is a must in in South Texas.
Elizabeth Cruz
While we’re rehabbing, they’re not allowed to go in.
00:20:56:02 – 00:21:22:21
Elizabeth Cruz
But I would take pictures and I would send them, when I visit with her, I would show her and she says, but what is that black thing? And I said, oh, that’s your central air and heater. And she goes, oh, wow. I would be doing a program a disservice if I didn’t share how much we gather everyone that’s touching our homeowners homes into the, the mix and really falling in love with the family.
00:21:22:21 – 00:21:48:20
Elizabeth Cruz
Right. We’re working with a family. We’re not working with a property. You know, that was one of the first things I wanted to change the language. It’s not an address. This is a family that lives at this address. That’s who we’re working with. I wanted to add the humanity to our work, but the, the contractor on his own enclosed her back porch because she wanted washer dryer.
00:21:48:22 – 00:22:19:28
Elizabeth Cruz
And she never had. And so they put the fixtures, or we could put the fixtures on the back porch. So he enclosed the for her. He built it were my mother. I wouldn’t want her having to deal with the, you know, the elements. Yeah, yeah. And, so beautiful, so, so heartwarming. So anytime I see what we’re doing for homeowners and serving them and the way just it’s just like we’re talking.
00:22:19:28 – 00:22:48:14
Elizabeth Cruz
Just talking to them like that. What’s going on with you? Yeah. What’s happening? How can we support you again? Getting to know who the homeowner is and their history.
Camille Hall-Ortega
And you’re getting to experience that every day. And so I can imagine that’s just rewarding.
Elizabeth Cruz
So rewarding. I believe I get paid for it.
Camille Hall-Ortega
You have communities of folks that are grateful for the work that you do and your team.
00:22:48:17 – 00:23:14:13
Camille Hall-Ortega
And so I think it’s beautiful. You talked about experiencing a different Olga now, and I imagine that housing crisis takes a toll emotionally on folks. Yeah. What do you see? What it tells us more about, what you see for folks who are facing housing issues and kind of how you see that progression.
Elizabeth Cruz
Olga held on to hope she’s a person of faith.
00:23:14:13 – 00:23:44:00
Elizabeth Cruz
So she was like, always holding on to hope. However, she just was not comfortable. It wasn’t her space. She was in someone else’s space and she was living like that. And you just get, well, bounced from here to here. And so it was in her space. Now she’s in her home. She’s just so empowered. I just look at the pictures.
00:23:44:00 – 00:24:11:06
Elizabeth Cruz
I think the pictures in the Echoes magazine is just shows her now, just that empowered, sense of this is my home. I love working with the families, seeing them go from hopeless to having hope. From not being able to envision to, oh, wow, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel to move in and say, this is your home now.
00:24:11:08 – 00:24:36:09
Elizabeth Cruz
Oh, wow. Just to be so in awe. And, I remember the first time we walked through Olga’s house, Olga was ecstatic. She was just let her daughter step was in the back and you could see the tears running down her face. That’s their home. And yes, it’s a a property. That property identified as a concern in the neighborhood.
00:24:36:12 – 00:25:03:05
Elizabeth Cruz
But there’s a family that’s there. So how can we support the family and then rehab their home. So guess what? Now the support we’ve given that family, they’re going to have the ability to sustain and maintain their home. After the rehab.
Marcus Goodyear
We think of restoring homes, and we imagine that before and after picture of the house, which I’ve seen the before and after picture of, Olga’s house.
00:25:03:08 – 00:25:36:18
Marcus Goodyear
But you’re talking about the before and after picture of the of the home owner, of the person who lives there, and before hope and after hope and before maybe before gratitude and after gratitude. It’s just it’s really beautiful.
Elizabeth Cruz
Definitely. And, I think about the homeowner that lost hope and is beginning to feel some hope. Even before we made a determination of whether or not she could participate in the program, she looked at me and said, thank you for the first time.
00:25:36:18 – 00:26:10:07
Elizabeth Cruz
I feel like someone’s on my side. It never gets old to hear that, to see that hope to that. Just a slight smile like, wow, there is a somebody does care enough. Still questioning why, but someone does.
Marcus Goodyear
Yeah. So, Elizabeth, there’s this thing we do in our podcast where we pull audio from the Foundation Archives. The Foundation has been around since 1933, and we wanted to share with you a clip that’s a little bit more recent than some of the audio clips we share.
00:26:10:07 – 00:26:54:12
Marcus Goodyear
This is from a recent Laity Lodge retreat. Laity Lodge is our adult Christian retreat center and the clip we want to play is, Alan Jacobs, who is a professor at Wheaton College, and he’s talking about repairing a broken world. So I would just like to listen to this and then and get your take on it.
Audio Clip – Alan Jacobs
What I’m always looking for is a way to invite people along with me, Christians and non-Christians alike, to do the work of rebuilding and renewing and restoring a broken world, to repair the broken world, not to discard it, not to condemn it, not to throw it away, but to repair it.
00:26:54:14 – 00:27:17:27
Audio Clip – Alan Jacobs
And what does that look like? What does that repair look like? And how do we invite other people to participate in that with us?
Marcus Goodyear
As you hear that, we’re talking about repairing homes. We’re talking about, bringing hope to people who may have lost hope. What’s your response to Alan?
Elizabeth Cruz
I 100% align with what he just said.
00:27:18:00 – 00:27:45:00
Elizabeth Cruz
Some of the cleanups we organized for the homeowners in preparation for the rehab, helping them pull their valuables out and then helping them discard the things they want to discard. We get together volunteers that help clean up the brush and mow lawns and cut trees and help us do things like that. And we can’t I can’t do it alone.
00:27:45:00 – 00:28:10:02
Elizabeth Cruz
I am I am a part time contract employee, so I absolutely need their community, whatever community they’re living in, to support them to be successful in their home. And some of them need ongoing support. Changing the battery on the smoke detectors, I ran into a homeowner that said I have mobility issues and my sister has mobility issues. I can’t get up on a ladder to change.
00:28:10:06 – 00:28:33:23
Elizabeth Cruz
I could hear it that it needs to be changed, but I can’t change it. But simple little task that the community neighbors, it’s what I said earlier. You know, we’re losing that where neighbors can check in on each other. I think ministries, you know, outreach ministries don’t just outreach. Those that are unsheltered, outreach, those that might need some additional support.
00:28:33:29 – 00:29:03:18
Elizabeth Cruz
The shut in, the widows, it’s biblical. Right?
Camille Hall-Ortega
Exactly.
Elizabeth Cruz
We should be providing that kind of support. So I’m always looking for volunteers and anyone that feels touched to volunteer. I am happy to get their support.
Camille Hall-Ortega
I love that that’s I mean, that’s exactly the question we would have for you and for folks who know that the need is there, who have been informed by this time, or by just looking at their community around them.
00:29:03:20 – 00:29:28:26
Camille Hall-Ortega
What’s what are the next steps that you might recommend? What’s one thing?
Elizabeth Cruz
So I don’t expect you to go to people’s homes, knock on their door. And just because I mean, unfortunately there are situations where there are mental health issues and, and that’s the reality and that’s a reality I’ve encountered. And I’m skilled in helping de-escalate situations.
00:29:28:28 – 00:29:57:27
Elizabeth Cruz
So even when I have volunteer hours, and I’m there with the volunteers, making sure everything is going the way it’s supposed to be going. But getting with outreach, ministries that do outreach for the seniors, and there are a lot of programs that help, clear, mow lawns, cut grass, you know, those are necessary. Some of my homeowners have mobility issues.
00:29:57:27 – 00:30:23:01
Elizabeth Cruz
So what? How do they maintain their property? Those are some of the citations they get overgrown grass. A lot of them don’t have support. So let’s support our community.
Camille Hall-Ortega
Beautiful. I think it’s important for us to note that of course, we’re talking a lot about San Antonio and the broader areas Texas, but housing affordability issues everywhere, housing challenges, it’s everywhere.
00:30:23:01 – 00:30:54:07
Camille Hall-Ortega
It’s all over our country and all of our world. And so we would say, for the folks who are looking to get involved in being a part of the solution, that this is still great advice for them, that there are organizations that are already doing the work, but they need extra hands. And so it’s great to know that someone like you, who has boots on the ground in the middle of that help, is suggesting that that’s a great way to start getting involved.
Elizabeth Cruz
Even helping get boxes as they move and pack their things.
00:30:54:07 – 00:31:25:01
Elizabeth Cruz
You know, just there’s so many things that when we rehab, they’re home helping with refurbishing. We are a country where we have extra you know, sometimes it’s sharing some of what we have. You know, we cannot give God. So, that that’s something I’ve always experienced. And so I really do feel that it’s important that we share about our time and sometimes it’s our resources.
00:31:25:06 – 00:31:49:14
Elizabeth Cruz
So.
Camille Hall-Ortega
Right.
Elizabeth Cruz
You know, if you can’t give time, give resources.
Camille Hall-Ortega
I love that, Elizabeth. We’re so grateful for your time today with us and for all that you’ve shared. We appreciate you.
Elizabeth Cruz
Thank you so much.
Marcus Goodyear
Yes. Thank you. Thank you for the work you’re doing.
Elizabeth Cruz
Yes. Nice meeting you both.
00:31:49:16 – 00:32:37:28
Camille Hall-Ortega
The Echoes Podcast is written and produced by Marcus Goodyear, Rob Stinnett and me, Camille Hall-Ortega.It’s edited by Rob Stinnett and Kim Stone. Our executive producers are Patton Dodd and David Rogers. Special thanks to our guest today, Elizabeth Cruz. The echoes podcast is a production brought to you by the H. E. Butt Foundation. You can learn more about our vision and mission at hebfdn.org.
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