Pena Family: Basking In the Glow of Their New Lives

Sixty-one-year-old Maria and 62-year-old Rafael Peña have found more than a new apartment; they have found a community. 

Married for 40 years, the couple moved into a new apartment in the Casa Maravilla development in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. Casa Maravilla offers 73 affordable apartments for low-income seniors, and features a senior center on the first floor. The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) invested federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits, generating more than $13 million in private equity to build Casa Maravilla. IHDA also provided $1.3 million in a zero-interest Illinois Affordable Housing Trust Fund Loan.

Living at Casa Maravilla, Maria and Rafael say they have more friends and enjoy a greater sense of security: “We feel more happy and safe.”

“With my job working at a grocery store, I used to have to park blocks away. Our car was robbed once. I worried about my safety,” Maria says. “Now, we have our own parking space near our apartment. My new apartment makes me feel safe.”

Rafael used to escort Maria to her car when she headed to work at 3 a.m. Now, he breathes easier. 

“I feel a lot more relaxed knowing that Maria is safer now,” Rafael says.

The Peñas are basking in the glow of their new lives—and in the extra light of their new apartment. Leaving their dark attic apartment for a new home with plenty of windows has improved their quality of life.

For Maria, the extra sunlight is another reason she loves her new home.

“Our new apartment has so much more natural light than the attic where we used to live,” Maria says. “The extra sunlight streaming into our apartment makes me happy. We are also saving on electricity since we don’t have to leave the lights on during the day.”

To learn more about Illinois Housing Development Authority, please visit their website.

For more information on Housing Credits, see our advocacy page.