At the El Camino Homeless Organization, or ECHO, in Atascadero, the new family wing, the Balay Ko Family Resource Center, opened its doors Wednesday.
For many of the parents and kids moving in, it's the first real home they’ve had in months.
“I get goosebumps saying this. These are the days that remind us why we’re here and why we’re doing this work,” said ECHO Director of Development Tess Cheek.
The pitter-patter of tiny feet running freely through hallways, sights of parents stuffing brand-new drawers with their children’s clothes and smiles from ear to ear, and laughter filling once-empty rooms, as ECHO opened its $3.6 million expansion project.
“Right now, you’ll hear activity of children running into their beds for the first time, the excitement… people grabbing books out of the bookshelf… It’s pretty special. It’s kind of a goosebump moment day,” said ECHO President Wendy Lewis.
The family wing welcomed seven families, filling more than 20 of the 30 beds the center offers. The families are given housing for 90 days, with options after that to extend beyond three months.
Jenny Cardona, her boyfriend, and their three girls were part of the first wave of families that now get to call the center their new home.
Cardona says she and her family have been homeless for about a year and officially got the good news Wednesday morning.
“Today in the morning, they were like, ‘Are you guys ready?’ So then we’re like, ‘Yeah!’ So all of us got up and we went, and we were just fixing everything, so that we can get everything ready to come in here,” Cardona said.
For a mother who tries to give her three girls all she can with what she has, Cardona says seeing them light up as they walked into their room meant everything.
“She thinks that this is her home. She loves being here,” Cardona said. “Especially something new, like, she’s been waiting for this!”
“Just having these spaces that are just for them, just to be kids, as a mother, I know how important that is and, yeah, it means a lot,” Cheeks said.
And to help make these families feel at “home,” neighborhood students painted the artwork that now hangs in the bedrooms.
ECHO officials say the remaining beds are expected to be filled within the next couple of days.
