Tierra de Esperanza, a group effort of faith, hope and love

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Some 100 people attended the dedication and blessing of 10 new homes in the Tierra de Esperanza subdivision at St. Therese of the Little Flower Church in Woodsboro on May 20, where each family signed their new home deed and received a key to their new house.  

“Having a new home is a great gift and a blessing,” Bishop Michael Mulvey said. He spoke about community partnerships that made the subdivision possible, and before blessing each new home, he said, “There’s always hope when we come together in prayer.”
  The Tierra de Esperanza subdivision came to life after Hurricane Harvey displaced many families in 2017. Tierra de Esperanza’s homes are for the Hurricane Harvey survivors who lacked sustainable housing. “Everyone has a story,” said Jo Ann Buchanan with Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi. 

The homes were built mainly by young men and women from Disaster Aid of Ohio, shifting new crews every two weeks by bus. “It’s amazing what can get done if everybody works together,” said Atlee Kaufman with Disaster Aid of Ohio. 

The new homeowner chose the paint color of their house, front door and kitchen cabinets. Each home comes with a refrigerator, a stove with a vent hood, and central heat and air conditioning. In addition, the local Amish community will build a shed for every new home. The homes range in size between 998–1400 square feet, depending on the family size. In the new subdivision, there are 11 (2-bedroom/1-bath homes), 9 (3-bedroom/2-bath homes, and 3 (4-bedroom/2-bath) homes. The initial 13 homes were dedicated on March 25. Along with Bishop Mulvey, the dedication ceremony featured several local leaders and dignitaries. The theme of the day was all about community partnerships. “I am truly grateful to be a witness to God’s grace and be a part of a group,” said Warren E. Phipps, Jr., Executive Director of Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi and Mother Teresa Shelter. “We came together to create this community to help these families who were still struggling from the ravage of Hurricane Harvey.” 

Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group Executive Director, Christopher Brandt, spoke of the “coalition of willing,” and their Board President, Donna Rosson, said, “It took an army of willing souls to create this.” Refugio County Judge Robert Blaschke said it was “all about relationships with community partners and new beginnings for homeowners.” 

Tierra de Esperanza’s new residents have experienced collaboration, inspiration, and love throughout this project. “We have so much more to do,” Woodsboro Mayor Kay Roach said. “God has given us the opportunity to make changes.” 

With each new home key hand-off, the Disaster Aid of Ohio presented the homeowners with a Bible, a box of steak knives, and a beautiful handmade wall tapestry, including the names and pictures of the people who made their home. 

At the end of the dedication, the Saint Vincent de Paul Disaster Services handed each child a new backpack. 

Homeowners in Tierra de Esperanza are starting a new life in a new community. “It is life-changing having a new home,” said Tom Smucker with Mennonite Disaster Services. “Without partnerships and collaboration of partners, this would not have happened.”

The Tierra de Esperanza project was made possible with the collaboration between Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group, Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi, Mennonite Disaster Services, Disaster Aid of Ohio, Rebuild Texas Fund, Town of Woodsboro, Refugio County Development Foundation, Center for Disaster Philanthropy, Mission Presbytery – Presbyterian Church of US, Week of Compassion, Food Bank of the Golden Crescent, and Saint Vincent de Paul. They committed a combined $2.3 million to the project.  

“We are all inspired by this community of faith, hope, and charity,” Phipps said. 

Due to Disaster Aid of Ohio and community partnerships, 23 families from Refugio, Bee, and Aransas Counties now have new homes on 4 acres of land in Woodsboro.