TIJUANA A San Diego-based Christian church and municipal authorities teamed up to build 16 houses for people who lost their homes in a ferocious fire last May.
On Thursday, city officials and members of Amor Ministries presented the houses, which will be home to 60 people who were displaced by the fire in the low-income neighborhood of Lomas del Rubí.
"We were here since this tragedy occurred; we promised that we were going to act quickly and, and thanks to this church and various organizations, today we're coming through," said Mayor Carlos Bustamante at the event where the houses were symbolically turned over.
The municipal government provided all the construction material for the houses, while 215 church members, the majority college students in the United States, organized the logistical support and the labor.
The church, known as Comisión de Amor in Mexico, is an old benefactor in this city. Its members built housing for 300 families who lived near the city's old trash dump two decades ago, among other philanthropic projects.
Founder Scott Congdon said that while his organization works to help families in this region, the teens and young people who make up his ministry become aware of the needs that exist in the world and then take that view back with them to interest others to support the less fortunate.
"We want them to open their eyes and help meet the needs of people who live around them," said Congdon, who said his organization has helped to build 17,000 houses around the world.
The organization built the 16 houses in colonia Lomas del Rubí in four days, using the materials provided by the city.
The municipal government also pledged to pave the neighborhood street where most of the new houses are located.
Omar.millan@sandiegored.com
