Tanya Solis and her daughter Aimee are decluttering, organizing and putting foundations under their dreams. The mother-daughter duo found out in July they were selected to become part of the Habitat family and have started building a home in Stratton Flats. 
Tanya grew up here in Eagle County, attended local schools and wants Aimee to be able to be near family and part of the close-knit community. It’s important to them to be close to family and that support system. Tanya is focused and working towards fulfilling her career and housing goals.
She applied to be a Habitat homeowner a few years ago but was not selected. She was disappointed but dug in and started to make changes that would pay now. In 2020, she sent in her Habitat Vail Valley application and accompanying paperwork. COVID struck and the wait to hear felt long. In the meantime, she graduated from college with a degree in social work, started a job as a counselor for English Language Learners at Battle Mountain High School (BMHS), applied to a master’s in social work (MSW) program. It was thrilling when she learned she was selected to be a homeowner.
“Building my Habitat house means so much to my family and I because it is not just going to be a house, but a place we call home. It means having a stable roof over our heads,” Tanya said in her application. “For my daughter it means having her own room, a space she can make her own and be creative. It means accomplishing a long-time dream a dream that turned into a reality.”
Tanya and Aimee live with Tanya’s mother, along with her sister and her children. It is a loving home but cramped. Tanya and Aimee shared a room until recently, never feeling like they have enough space or privacy. Now, as the walls start going up in her new home, she and Aimee have visions of how they will make it a home.
Making a Difference
Tanya isn’t just changing her life—she is making a difference with young people at BMHS. As a school counselor in a newly created position, she’s building that program from the ground up. Helping youth and their families has cemented she is in the right place in her life and is determined to continue her education to expand her role.
Once she has her MSW, she envisions focusing more on the clinical side of helping young people within school district, she explains. Her dedication to the school, her family and Habitat are evident throughout the community. It helps that she felt welcomed at BMHS from day one and has an excellent team to work with.
“We have heard that [Tanya] and the counselors are rocking that department, Personally, I’m happy because Hispanic students are seeing a role model that looks like them, bilingual, and with her unique personality she for sure will empower others,” says Beatriz Bustamante, family services coordinator at Habitat Vail Valley.
At Habitat Vail Valley, we’re thrilled to work with Tanya and Aimee, a hardworking family on their journey to stability and self-sufficiency.