Rural Opportunities Inc.
Florencio Carmona

Florencio Carmona has been a farm worker all of his life. Picking oranges, vegetables, peaches, apples, corn and coffee beans was well as planting and weeding the ground, the Mexican immigrant works in different states depending on the crop. He, his wife Maria and their five girls moved with the jobs.

For years, Florencio, 43, has struggled to provide his family with food and education. Living on less than $15,000 a year, the family has lived in camp houses and rental apartments for the last 15 years.

Florencio had long dreamed of owning a home. It was at a First-Time Homebuyers Spanish Workshop sponsored by Rural Opportunities Inc. (ROI) that this non-English speaking immigrant first believed that dream could become a reality. He immediately enrolled in the ROI program, which was the map leading him down the road to homeownership and self-sufficiency.

Florencio understood that owning a home would provide a more stable environment for himself , Maria and his daughters, ages 5 to 17. His determination and perseverance in achieving that goal allowed him to overcome not only the financial barriers but the cultural ones that were standing in his way.

With the assistance of RIO’s Homeownership Counselor Linda Simon, Florencio overcame the language barrier that made it difficult for him to obtain the necessary information to learn the process of buying a home and apply for a mortgage. Florencio kept fighting toward his goal. He gradated from ROI’s program and bought his first home in 2004 in Chambersburg.

“I never knew such programs existed,” Florencio said. “I thought I would always be living in an apartment. With the help of Rural Opportunities Inc., I was able to buy a home for my family.”

Now, Florencio and Maria are learning English as a second language so they can take an active role in the children’s school activities. Florencio hopes to one day take part in his daughter’s baseball team. He is learning the rules and regulations so he can coach.

The Carmona family did not simply buy a home in Chambersburg, but they became members of the community, sharing in picnics and dinners with their new neighbors. As a migrant farm worker, having roots in a community is a new experience for Florencio.

“We are the first in our whole family to own a home of our own,” said Florencio, who now works full time at Beck’s Manufacturing in Franklin County but still maintains part time employment as a farm worker.

Florencio and Maria continue to use the lessons they learned through ROI and continue to set goals for themselves and their children. Their next family goal: Send the girls to college. Continuing the dream and expanding upon their self-sufficiency.

Rural Opportunities, Inc. is a Community Action Agency serving 15 counties in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Ohio by providing empowerment programs including the First-Time Homebuyers Spanish Workshop.