Migrant family buys first home after arriving in Chicago 2 years ago: 'It's the American dream'

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A family of Venezuelan migrants, who are among the 47,000 new arrivals to Chicago in the last two years, are now achieving the American dream.

The Gomez family saved up money to buy a house on the Chicago's West Side.

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It was a homecoming they had only dreamed of. On Thursday, the Gomez family officially welcomed friends to their new home in North Austin.

Gabriel Gomez told ABC7 it was his dream. This is what he wanted for his children

It is the first home for the family of four, and it is the first time they have lived in anything bigger than one bedroom for 8 years.

Euvelis Rengel said they are very happy and this is an important step for their family.

Originally from Venezuela, members of the family have been working in food service, delivering food, doing factory work and working as auto mechanics.

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When they first arrived in Chicago in 2022 as new arrivals, they landed at Grace and Peace Church. Their new home is the first of four distressed West Side homes the church bought, rehabbed and sold.

"We met them at the bus and they were so distressed and worked through a whole process with them, and now they are stable in their own home," Grace and Peace Church Pastor John Zayas said. "It's awesome."

With all of their savings, along with programs to assist first-time home buyers and an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, the Gomez family recently made their dreams come true.

Rengel said it really is the American dream.

Grace and Peace Church plans to sell their other newly rehabbed homes to other first-time homebuyers of color in Chicago, hoping to improve the lives for those families and their communities.