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Coinciding with Women’s History Month, San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity is extending its annual Women Build activities through March, the organization announced last week.
SGV Habitat described Women Build as a “signature event” that the nonprofit housing operation has organized since 1991. Until now it was held over one weekend and this year aims to raise $400,000 and “bring hundreds of women and their allies together to build homes and highlight the importance of homeownership for women in their struggle to achieve economic equity.”
Specific volunteer opportunities will be finalized and available when organizers announce Women Build activities in February, according to SGV Habitat. No building or specialized experience is necessary to volunteer.
“Women Build volunteers learn new skills, inspire each other, and help build stronger, safer communities,” event organizers said. “While Women Build focuses on the inclusion of women in the work of building homes, the event does not exclude volunteers of any gender or gender identity.”
In Los Angeles County more than 60% of renters contend with housing affordability, according to SGV Habitat, which observed that the gender wage gap further blocks women’s access to affordable housing. As a result, there are increasing numbers of women living in substandard and unsafe conditions, and women disproportionately have to deal with barriers to acquiring decent, affordable housing — especially those who serve as head of their households and women of color.
Affordability is not the only focus of SGV Habitat’s mission, which includes the goal of providing stable living environments that improve communities.
“Statistics show that children with stable housing have higher success rates in school. Homeownership is also associated with better health, fewer illnesses, and lower rates of depression and anxiety,” according to the organization.
“At Habitat, we have seen first-hand the transformative impact that stable, affordable homeownership has for low-income families,” SGV Habitat CEO Bryan Wong said in a statement. “As we embark on projects in Azusa, Baldwin Park and El Sereno, Women Build participants will have the opportunity to help local families achieve what can feel like an impossible dream while breaking down the barriers to homeownership that many women have faced.”
Women Build’s “volunteering, donations, and advocacy” have helped house families in Altadena, Glendale, Pasadena, Monterey Park, Baldwin Park, Monrovia and throughout the San Gabriel Valley through, SGV Habitat said.
Event organizers are currently seeking Women Build sponsors and volunteers. C.W. Driver Companies has come back as a 2024 sponsor, as fundraising teams begin to take shape.
Companies and organizations interested in sponsorship can contact Paul Van Ast, donor partnerships manager, at PaulV@sgvhabitat.org or 626-861-5417.
Individuals can create teams online via https://givebutter.com/WomenBuild24.
For more information about the 2024 Women Build month, visit https://sgvhabitat.org/get-involved/womenbuild/.
