Building Homes In Mexico

About twice each year, Tony Everett crosses the U.S. border into Mexico to build homes for families in need. Tony, west region business manager for Impact Products LLC of Toledo, Ohio, lives in Tucson, Ariz. He travels with a group from his church to Agua Prieta, in the state of Sonora, Mexico, which is just across the border from Douglas, Ariz.

Tony started working with the home-building group about 14 years ago, along with a neighbor who's a member of the same Tucson church.

"Back then, we were scrambling for funds. We would stand outside the church after Sunday services, asking people to make financial donations to the project," says Tony.

Today the organization is recognized as a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation, officially known as "Agua Prieta Family Shelters." More than 200 people are, or have been, active in the Agua Prieta organization.

In the beginning, the group built two to four homes each year. Now, they build eight to 10 homes per year.

"Generally, we avoid working there during the extreme winter or summer months," says Tony. "We go when the weather is kind."

The homes are more accurately described as shelters.

"They are rudimentary, one-room structures that are built with adobe bricks," says Tony. "These structures are built on a foundation, with durable metal doors, windows and insulation. The floors are dirt floors, but we give the residents cement so they can put in cement floors if they wish."

The families who live in the houses purchase the land on which the house is built for about $200. They then apply to their church for a house and Tony's church selects the residents.

"It is very likely that the homeowners live in a near-by structure that might be constructed of corrugated steel, wood pallets or cardboard," says Tony. "The conditions they live in before they move into one of the houses we build are third-world."

One of the big concerns related to building homes in a border community is the violence.

"While Agua Prieta has been spared up to this point, one negative incident will significantly affect what we do for the people there — especially in the barrio in which we do the work," says Tony.

This potential for violence supports why Tony chooses to volunteer in Mexico rather than the United States.

"It's just a two-hour drive away from where I live, but I think the need on the other side of the border is greater than it is here," says Tony. "There is a lot of need in our own county, but the way I explain it to myself is: In the United States, we have all kinds of 'safety nets' for people, including the welfare system, hospitals and schools. When you cross the border into Mexico, there are no such safety nets."

Modestly, Tony reflected that this is a group — not an individual — effort.

"It's not about me," he says. "It's about giving back. I have been blessed and have the ability to give back. I'm glad I'm able to do so. The smiles on people's faces tell me that we are doing something that is enduring."

Gretchen Roufs, an 18-year janitorial supply industry veteran, owns a marketing and public relations company in San Antonio. To suggest someone you think should be featured in “Freetime,” contact her at Gretchen@GretchenRoufs.com.