Tom dreams of his children and grandchildren gathering in his lakefront home, making memories in the quiet neighborhood he’s grown to love.
Tom Martinez, a navy veteran and retired medical technician, has called the same lakefront house home since 1990 when he bought it from his former landlord’s estate. What started as a rental became the foundation for everything that matters to him.
Tom’s roots in the Lake County community run deep. You’ll find him at American Legion events in Fox Lake, volunteering with the local animal rescue, and supporting fellow veterans however he can. For decades, he took pride in maintaining every inch of his property himself—the kind of guy who could fix anything and never asked for help.
But life has a way of changing the rules. A medical condition now limits Tom to lifting just 15 pounds, and suddenly those weekend repair projects became impossible mountains to climb. For someone who built his identity around self-reliance, admitting he needed help felt overwhelming.
His girlfriend, who works for the village, was the one who mentioned Habitat’s repair program. Tom had watched his windows fail and his siding deteriorate, knowing each winter brought higher heating bills and more worry. The house he’d lovingly maintained was beginning to deteriorate. And it broke his heart.
“I don’t want to worry about this stuff anymore. I want to come home and think, ‘Wow, that’s my house,’” Tom explains.
This isn’t just about windows and siding—it’s about preserving something precious. Tom dreams of his children and grandchildren gathering in this same lakefront home, making memories in the quiet neighborhood he’s grown to love. He wants them to inherit not just a house, but a sanctuary with a unique small-town feel.
Tom’s application to the Critical Home Repair Program was recently accepted and the repairs will do more than improve Tom’s daily comfort and slash his utility bills. They’ll give him back his peace of mind and let him focus on what really matters: nurturing the relationships and traditions that make a house a true home.
For Tom Martinez, this weathered house by the lake isn’t just where he lives, it’s where he’s put down roots and hopes to grow a legacy.