HfHKC - Construction Women Build

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Women Build, nationally underwritten by Lowe’s, puts the tools into women’s hands to fight poverty housing. Women make up 50 percent of Habitat’s volunteer force; yet often they account for less than 15 percent of workers on the construction site because of lack of training. The Women Build program is meant to encourage the involvement of women in the construction of Habitat homes. Not only does the Women Build program enable women to discover for themselves that they can build Habitat homes, but each Women Build also helps to expand the capacity of the affiliate to serve more families through networking, fund raising opportunities, an expanded volunteer database, and new leadership.

Kitsap Habitat has committed to making the Women Build an annual project. This project provides the opportunity for women from all walks of life in Kitsap County to come together to provide a family with a simple, decent, and affordable place to live. Women Build is an exciting project. Throughout the process, women are guided by the Women Build Committee and participate in all facets of building a Habitat home, beginning with fundraising, to recruiting volunteers, and ending with the actual construction of the home.

2008 Women Build

Kitsap Habitat’s first ever Women Build is currently being built in partnership with future homeowner Marty Burkhart. Marty Burkhart is a grandmother of six who found herself in a difficult place after becoming disabled and no longer able to work as a meatpacker, a job that she had held for 23 years.

Habitat is the opportunity of a lifetime as she will soon be able to move out of her 460 square foot apartment into her new Habitat home. One of the things that she is most excited about is that her new Habitat home will be a safe place for her grandchildren to visit.

Marty has been an enthusiastic partner with Habitat throughout the whole process. When construction began on the home in April 2008 she had already completed over 550 sweat equity hours, far and above her 400 required hours. She has contributed these hours by helping on the jobsite, fund raising, and promoting the Women Build throughout the county.