22-Year-Old Woman Raising 3 Siblings Presented Keys To New Home

WESLEY CHAPEL, FL — Life has been a struggle for 22-year-old Nazeraeh Montrond this past year.

Her father, Army Sgt. Alberto Montrond, was killed in February 2006 killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee while he was stationed in Afghanistan with the 7th Special Forces Group.

Then, in March 2021, Montrond's mother, Christl, who had been struggling with health issues, died, leaving Montrond to care for her two younger brothers, Kevyn and Bentley, and sister, Arabella, while juggling a full-time job and full-time college course load at the University of South Florida in pursuit of her bachelor's degree in health science.

But thanks to the national nonprofit, Building Homes for Heroes, the Montronds no longer have to worry about a place to live.

On Aug. 25, a day that's particularly special to the Montrond children because it's their mother's birthday, they received the keys to a new home in the Centex community of Wesley Reserve at Chapel Crossings in Wesley Chapel.

Building Homes for Heroes, in partnership with national home builder PulteGroup's Built to Honor program, presented Montrond with the keys to a new, fully furnished, mortgage-free town home.

The Montrond family’s new 1,762 square-foot, two-story town home features three bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms and a one-car garage. The master-planned community of Chapel Crossings gives residents access to a community pool with a lazy river, clubhouse and fitness center.

“The story of Nazeraeh and her siblings has touched all of us,” said Sean Strickler, president of the West Florida Division of PulteGroup. “Everyone involved in this project knows what having this new home means for the family. We’re so proud to be involved, and we hope Naz, her brothers and sister make many new memories in their new home.”

Building Homes for Heroes was founded by Andy Pujol after he volunteered in the search-and-rescue in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The organization builds and modifies homes to give mortgage-free to veterans and their families.

The nonprofit gives a home to veterans or their families about every 11 days. In September, the organization will reach its milestone 300th home.

This is the fifth home for Pulte's Built to Honor program in Tampa Bay since 2016. Launched in 2013, the program has built and donated more than 70 homes across the country.