Finally home: Woman gets keys to new house year after losing everything in apartment fire

BELLE GLADE — Last year, Consuela Green sobbed as she watched flames consume the Belle Glade apartment she and her 73-year-old mother had rented for the past 20 years.

“That was home,” said Green, 51, her voice cracking. “All we knew was home.”

Last month, she received keys to the first house she will ever own and live in.

The Belle Glade native received a house from Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit that builds affordable homes, on Nov. 17. The organization has constructed over 250 houses in Palm Beach County and helps families purchase them at a lower price than market value with an interest-free mortgage.

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“Affordable homeownership opportunities are needed in Palm Beach County's western communities," said Peter Gates, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Palm Beach County. "Owning a home has repeatedly been shown to be transformational for individuals, families, and the communities where they live."

Green has worked for over 14 years as a custodian supervisor for the county school district. She loves her job; it has allowed her to raise her three children as a single mother and then care for her mother Gearlene.

Owning a home in Belle Glade, she said, had been her lifelong dream.

"I am so happy to finally be a homeowner in my hometown,” said Green at the welcoming ceremony. "I want to set an example for the rest of my family."

Fire burns home down: 'All is gone.'

Green was still at work when she received a chilling call on Oct. 26, 2021. It was her daughter screaming. She’d gone to check up on her grandmother and found the apartment clouded with smoke.

She barely managed to get Gearlene out before the unit went up in flames.

By the time Green pulled over to the driveway of the complex, the unit was incinerated. Only the charred columns of the building were standing.

All she cared about, Green said, was that her mother was alive. But watching her home burn down with all their belongings was devastating.

“All those memories that you had there, the antique stuff,” she said. “All of that is gone.”

Neighbors came together to help them by gifting them clothes and food. City officials settled them in a hotel. All Green could think of is that they had nowhere to go.

For a year, the woman lived in hotels and stayed with family members.

"I'm ready to go home. I'm ready to go home,” Consuela said recalling her mother's pleas. “But of course, she understood that she didn't have a home.”

Then an old family friend told her about the Habitat for Humanity program.

Green had always dreamed of owning a home. She hurried to apply, filling out all the paperwork and replacing all the documents lost in the fire.

Six months after the fire, while at work, Green's phone rang.

It was a Habitat counselor. She had been selected for a lot along Southwest Avenue D in Belle Glade. Green threw herself on the floor. She felt butterflies in her stomach, she screamed, and she cried tears of joy.

“I'm going to take this one,” she said. "I don't care what it is. I didn't even have to check the property. Before she even told me what it was I said, 'Yes!'"

Surprise welcome to new home

During the month following the announcement, Green immersed herself in the financial literacy courses offered by Habitat. She volunteered to help build the houses of other recipients and her own and tried to keep most of it a secret.

Gearlene knew they were purchasing a house but didn't know which one or when. Green kept it all under wraps and surprised her on the day of the key ceremony.

That morning, Green walked into their new three-bedroom, two-bath house holding her mother in one arm and surrounded by family members, friends and neighbors.

Volunteers who helped build the home also attended and officers from the county's Fire Rescue Department delivered a turkey right on time before their first Thanksgiving diner.

"It was a release," said Green describing her seeing mother's smile. "My desire was to get her a house and I fulfilled my dream.”

Now, they both look forward to hosting family gatherings at their new house. For Green, it's more than a house. It's a forever, safe home where she can care for her mother.

“It's all about my mom,” said Green. “As long as she's happy, I’m happy.”

Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Loxahatchee and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@pbpost.com and follow her on Twitter at @ValenPalmB.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Habitat for Humanity: Woman who lost all in fire gets keys to new home