Antonio Camacho | White Rock Village
Folsom Lake College

The EPIC Educational Support program, developed by Mercy Housing in collaboration with its partner, EPIC, aims to provide grants to residents in support of their post-secondary education. The program helps residents obtain the education and skills they need to achieve their goals. The recipients can use the grant money toward living expenses, school supplies, and/or textbooks.

Antonio is one of the 2025 EPIC grant awardees. Throughout his life, housing had always been a struggle for Antonio and his family. “I’ve always been through a multitude of different apartments and houses, always supported by my family,” he recently shared. Without those struggles, however, they would have never discovered Mercy Housing California’s White Rock Village. “Mercy Housing has been instrumental in providing me with a space where I can feel safe and attend school comfortably,” Antonio explained.

Stable housing has also allowed the young student the opportunity to further his education and strive for the goals he has always wanted.

A Dedicated Student

“Antonio and my daughter are the same age,” said Elizabeth Divinagracia, Assistant Property Manager at White Rock Village. Elizabeth nominated Antonio for the EPIC award grant. “I got to know him through sports and academics, which he and my daughter were in.”

Elizabeth was also impressed by his dedication to education and often noticed him volunteering for local nonprofits that helped seniors and kids. “He is a student that I believe is highly deserving of this honor,” she explained.

As a first-year student at Folsom Lake College, Antonio describes his “main goals” as finishing college and getting an associate degree in information technology. Once he receives his AA degree, Antonio would like to further his education and obtain a bachelor’s degree in computer science.

“What I am striving for is stability in a career that I love; the more I learn about computers, the more I love them and hope to find a career centered around them,” Antonio shared.

From Survivor to Thriver

The Camacho family’s journey to find stable housing has made a lifelong impact on Antonio. “With how much I’ve struggled with housing throughout my life, I can appreciate how instrumental an affordable place to live can be for everything,” he said, adding that without a stable home, he would likely be, “working without the time to attend school; without a place to live, I can’t further any goals in my life, let alone attend school.”

Antonio describes having the chance to attend school as a “blessing.”

“Mercy Housing allows me to do more than just survive – it allows me to have goals and a future to strive for instead of constantly worrying whether my apartment will still be mine at the end of the month.”

Having a stable place to call home provides Antonio with comfort and a sense of hope for the future.