A fire destroyed Bartiz Alfaro's mobile home in Vinton last week. While she's thankful her family is OK, she said it's been very difficult. Everything her family owned went up in flames.

"I lost everything in the fire, inside my home, everything," said Alfaro.

Now Alfaro and her husband live in their truck, and their three children are staying with their grandmother.

"Every time they go by the house they start to cry," said Alfaro. "They are getting counseling at school," she added.

"I feel really bad, there is nothing I can do," said Vinton Mayor, Madeleine Praino.

The village of Vinton has a housing program designed to help families like the Alfaros. But ongoing conflicts among council members have stopped the village from having a water and sewer system, leaving the program almost useless.

"We don't have sewer and water and these programs require that you have sewer and water," said Praino.

Without sewer and water, the village cannot access the state funds to help the Alfaros.

"We have the funding to help them pay for it but we don't have the infrastructure to help them," said Anibal Olague the housing coordinator for Vinton. "Due to the lack of infrastructure no water, no sewer we haven't been able to build any apartments or bring any developers to develop new affordable housing," Olague added.

Alfaro has been all over the borderland trying to find housing for her family,

"I already went to Las Cruces, to Anthony, to El Paso, they don't have anything," said Alfaro. "There is no housing there, nothing around here," said Alfaro.

But Alfaro really wants to stay in Vinton so her children can stay in Canutillo ISD and not disrupt their school year.

The mayor has also made calls, "I called the YMCA, Salvation Army, Project Bravo, Project Vida, they don't have anything," she said.

The village can't even spend other funds because council still has not passed a budget.

"The fact that we don't have a budget, we cannot spend any money," said Praino.

"This is a good example, this family, we could have helped them," said Olague.

First, the Alfaro family was a victim of a fire, and now, they are the victims of council member's actions.

"Unfortunately the majority of council doesn't seem to grasp that. They don't quite understand the need for this. This is dire," said Praino.

"It's very unfortunate that we are not able to use these fund, the funds are here. If we don't use them another entity will use them. It's not necessarily another entity within the border. These funds can go back to whereas, like, Austin, Houston, Dallas," said Olague.

The village is collecting donations for the family. Praino hopes in the season of giving people will be generous to the family that has lost so much.

"We need to rally around this family. I feel we are a big family with a very big sense of community. Please be generous. Please try to help them," said Praino.

The village is accepting donations at the village hall, or contact Bartiz Alfaro. 915-449-6267 or 915-321-1440

The family is in need of everything, clothes, furniture, kitchen supplies.