During the COVID-19 pandemic, our homes became schools, offices, restaurants, playgrounds and so much more. Now more than ever, we’re all realizing that a home is more than a shelter. It’s our safety, our prescription for health and the foundation for the futures we build.

Another truth that COVID-19 has brought home is the tremendous balancing act that so many women have faced: working from home or serving as essential workers, often while helping their children navigate virtual school and keeping their families healthy.

Habitat for Humanity has long recognized the critical role women play in their communities as well as their specific barriers to homeownership. That’s why Habitat’s Women Build program brings together future homeowners and dedicated volunteers to help women build a better future for their families and communities.

We invite you to meet four homeowners – Nilda, Christina, Ai and Yessica – and longtime volunteer Teri to learn more about the difference that Habitat and homeownership have made in their lives.

Reaching full potential

Nilda wanted nothing more than to build a healthy home for her family. Air quality issues in her apartment were causing her daughter, Ariana, to have chronic asthma attacks. The family’s apartment was also invaded by roaches and mice that came in from the basement. Ariana was constantly in the hospital, and the medical bills were piling up. “Every time I saw a roach or mice or something like that, it would just drive me crazy,” Nilda says. She tried everything to keep the pests away, but nothing worked.

Christina and her husband, Joe, wanted a healthy home for their family, too. Mushrooms grew in the ceiling of one of their rental homes, and it made their eldest children Joseph and Jozlyn sick. The family moved often, and they often found themselves living in an unhealthy home with issues like black mold.

Both Nilda and Christina knew having a safe and decent home would significantly improve their children’s health. Both women found their solution in Habitat.

Nilda reached out to the Habitat Greater Newburgh affiliate in New York and applied to become a homeowner. Although her first two applications weren’t approved, she worked diligently with support from Habitat to improve her finances. Her third application was approved, and Nilda found herself on the path to homeownership.

Once Nilda and Ariana moved into their new home three years ago, Ariana’s asthma attacks stopped completely. “There were so many things that I had to do to be able to keep my house safe that I no longer have to do,” Nilda says. “It took away so many worries that I had, owning my own house.”

Eleven years ago, Christina contacted Rogue Valley Habitat in Oregon. While her home was under construction, she attended a how-to clinic at the local Lowe’s store to learn construction basics. Later, employees from the store’s volunteer program, known nationally as Lowe’s Heroes, showed up at the Women Build event at her home to help her paint. She says when they arrived it was like “seeing old friends.”

Since moving into their Habitat home, Christina’s kids Joseph and Jozlyn have thrived and enjoy good health, which has allowed them the energy to focus on their studies. Joseph was valedictorian of his high school in 2021. “My kids don’t have to move around anymore,” says Christina. “There’s nothing in this house that’s going to make them sick. I know that they will reach their full potential by us having this house.”

Enough to save and invest

Yessica knew paying an affordable mortgage was the key to being able to provide a stable home for her daughters, Lourdes and Yaritza. They lived in a small trailer in an unsafe neighborhood in southeastern North Carolina. Yessica grew afraid for her family’s safety when there was a homicide nearby. She reached out to Habitat Goldsboro-Wayne to learn more about their homeownership program and applied.

“Before Habitat, I felt insecure,” Yessica says. “Insecure about not having enough money for the month to pay bills or to buy groceries.” In her new home, Yessica’s mortgage payment is less than what she once paid for rent, and not having to worry about being able to pay her bills has allowed her to focus on her career goals. She obtained certifications for a job as a computer numerical control machinist and has gotten her associate’s degree.

Like Yessica, Ai was able to invest in her education after moving into her Habitat home. “I remember at one time, all I wanted was a Habitat house for my kids,” Ai says. “I wanted a house where each of my kids would get their own room and a mortgage I could pay for.” That was eight years ago, when Ai and her two children were sharing a bedroom in her parents’ Wisconsin home.

The newly single mom had made the tough choice to move back in with her parents while she finished her college education. “Those years were really hard,” Ai says, but she believed getting her bachelor’s degree would pay off.

Living in her Habitat home, the elementary school teacher has been able to go back to school and obtain her master’s degree in education. Having an affordable mortgage also allowed her to spend more quality time with her children because she didn’t have to worry about making ends meet every month to pay for her home. “I don’t think I would have been able to be the mom that I am now if I didn’t go through the Habitat program,” she says.

A safe place to shelter

As a registered nurse, Nilda knows that having a safe and decent home plays a critical role in keeping families healthy. She’s grateful to have a home where her family can spread out now that so much of their time is spent inside. “My children have their own space,” she says.

Even with taking every precaution, her son, Alexander, tested positive for COVID-19. Nilda quarantined him in the basement while her daughter, Ariana, stayed in her bedroom on the home’s second floor. “That was a scary moment. We were able to handle it well,” she says. “The house gave us that ability to maintain my son in a space where he was OK. He was isolated, but he didn’t feel like he was closed in.”

During the pandemic, Ai’s home has become a classroom. Brightly colored papers with messages like, “Be kind. Be respectful. Be safe,” hang on her walls. She taught kindergarten and first graders via a video conferencing platform while Angel and Kong attended college and high school virtually upstairs. Her youngest son, 4-year-old Bruce, bounded around the house visiting his family. “It’s been a safe haven for us, and we’ve been healthy,” Ai says of her home.

When Ai reflects on her journey to homeownership, she remembers one of her proudest moments working alongside volunteers to build her home during a Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat Women Build event. “I remember standing there, and I’m just looking at my house, looking at all the women that were working on it,” she says. “I felt so blessed to have all these people helping my kids and I get this house. That was a very happy moment for me.”

Working side by side

Yessica says it felt empowering to work with Women Build volunteers to raise the walls of her home. “I felt proud there were only women working that day because it shows that we can do it,” she says. “We’re capable of doing everything.”

Teri, a volunteer crew leader with Habitat Greater Los Angeles, agrees. Teri has volunteered for more than 12 years and enjoys seeing Women Build volunteers let loose and have fun while helping others.

As a crew leader, Teri greets volunteers and explains what jobs they’ll do to contribute to construction. “We explain how to hammer or drill a nail, but some people are afraid of certain things,” she says. That’s when Teri steps in to help. She encourages volunteers to give something new a try, and if they aren’t comfortable, she’s always happy to help them find something they love.

Full circle

Nilda, Christina, Ai and Yessica were all motivated by the same dream: having a home where their children could be healthy and safe and would thrive. They wanted to nurture their own goals, too, like going back to school and furthering their careers. By building safe and affordable homes with Habitat, these women also built a strong foundation to help them make their dreams a reality, and that’s exactly why Habitat continues to work with women across the country in pursuit of a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live.

Learn more about Women Build and find out how you can participate.

By design, Habitat for Humanity homes provide a strong foundation for families to flourish.

That foundation begins with homes that are affordable, durable, healthy and easy to maintain for years to come. Habitat house plans are often uniquely crafted to meet the needs of individual communities, with local Habitats across the U.S. building homes inspired by local styles, climate and materials.

During our inaugural Habitat House Design Contest in 2020, generously sponsored by Simpson Strong-Tie, more than 100 Habitat affiliates submitted their plans for sustainable, resilient homes to help families in their communities thrive.

See which Habitat designs were selected as the best in affordable home design and construction:

It had been a year since Ernie, an outgoing 87-year-old U.S. Army veteran, had been outside on his own. The entrance to his home for the last 50 years — the one he had shared with his late wife and raised his children in — could not accommodate the wheelchair he now used. His family would carry him, and then his wheelchair, down the steps and to their car to get to medical appointments. The appointments were the only time he left the house.

After months of this kind of physical isolation, and months of encouragement from his social worker, Ernie applied for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell’s Critical Home Repair Program. The program is designed to improve residents’ quality of life through repairs that help them increase their independence and improve their safety. At Ernie’s home, volunteers planned to erect a ramp so he could spend time outside on the days he didn’t have doctor’s appointments — and would have an easier time of getting to the car on days when he did.

Before they could get to work, members of the volunteer crew first had to move Ernie’s car out of the way. The beige 2005 Mercury Sable had been sitting untouched in the driveway, and no one was sure if it even had enough power to run.

“It started, but then it conked out,” Ernie says with a laugh. “So, they had to push it to the side. They even cleaned out the mouse nest and acorns in the engine.” As the volunteers began working, Ernie took in the scene from his living room window. “It was just amazing watching them that day,” he says. “There were about five of them. Everyone had a job to do, and they did it in jig time.”

As he watched, he grew determined to return their kindness — and figured out exactly how he was going to do it. He would put his inactive Mercury Sable to use by donating it to Habitat’s Cars for Homes program. “It was the least I could do,” he says.

“Ernie didn’t accept help for the longest time and once he finally did, all he could think about was how he was going to use it to help someone else,” says Lisa Garvey, community outreach director for Habitat Greater Lowell. “As a proud veteran, that sense of service is just part of who he is.”

Through Cars for Homes, individuals can donate their used vehicles — including cars, motorcycles, RVs, boats, even snowmobiles — to support Habitat’s work. Depending on their condition, the vehicles are either sold at auction or to licensed direct buyers that can make repairs as needed and/or salvage parts. Proceeds from the sale of the vehicle are donated to Habitat — with the majority invested in the affiliate and community where the car is donated. For the past five years, vehicle donations through the Cars for Home program have provided more than $21 million for participating Habitat affiliates, helping more families achieve the stability and security of affordable homeownership.

For Ernie, Cars for Homes offered the perfect solution — both to make an impact and lift a weight. Although he was no longer driving the car, it was still costing him. “I’m saving a lot of money on insurance and registration fees,” he says. “It’s a relief.”

After sorting out his title, Lisa helped Ernie schedule the donation online. Soon after, the car was picked up from his home, and, once the sale was complete, the proceeds were donated to Habitat Greater Lowell. “Working with him on this process was special because it meant so much to him to give back in some way, but he’s on a fixed income and not in a place to contribute financially,” says Lisa. “And now, his gift will allow us to assist even more wonderful people like him. It’s full circle.”

These days, when the weather’s nice, Ernie soaks up the sunshine on the landing of his ramp and chats with neighbors who pass by. Along with freedom and social connectivity, he also enjoys a sense of peace. “I feel more safe and secure. I can come in and exit my house so easily,” says Ernie. “If there is ever an emergency, I can get out with no problem. It’s the first time in over a year that I’ve been able to do that.”

Donating the car, he says, was just a small token of his gratitude for all these things. “I am happy I could pay it forward,” Ernie says.

As I turned the calendar page to close out 2020, I was reminded of how quickly time goes by. It has been 25 years now since my two daughters and I moved into our newly built Habitat home in Boise, Idaho. As I looked at the calendar, recalling our life all those years ago and reflecting on all that has happened since, memories flooded my mind.

Back then, before Habitat, I figured that homeownership would always be out of reach. In the early 1990s, my girls, Theresa and Maria, and I were living in a duplex that kept increasing in cost. We dreamed of a simple, affordable space of our own — but with the cost of rent rising right under our feet, I wasn’t sure how or if that would ever be possible.

A few months later, after picking up a brochure at church, I attended a Boise Valley Habitat home dedication ceremony held not far from our apartment. While there, I not only learned about Boise Valley Habitat’s mission, I saw it in action as a family received the keys to their home. After the ceremony, I met some of the Habitat volunteers and staff. They explained the Habitat application process and answered my questions. I left the event with a renewed sense of hope.

A year later, after an application and interview process, some of those same Boise Valley Habitat volunteers and staff members gathered at a new construction site. I met them there in the rainy February of 1995, and together we began working on my own family’s forever home.

At the time, my daughters and I didn’t know the first thing about building. Now, we look back at that time and laugh. One day, a volunteer told us how to put in the flooring, so we started pounding nails in. When he came back to check on us, he was speechless. “OK, yep,” he laughed, “that’s certainly a lot of nails!” We had been hammering in one nail about every inch when far fewer would have sufficed. (Safe to say our floor is still in place today.)

My daughters and I learned how to do many things like this — even if it wasn’t the easy way. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Being able to put our house together and learn how it works, how to take care of it, piece by piece, helped us understand what goes into building a house and how to take care of it once it finally became ours. At our home dedication ceremony, I said that this was “the most beautiful home in Boise.” I meant it.

That’s because, while the process of constructing our own home was special, the thing that made it beautiful was the willingness of people, some even strangers, to show up and build right alongside us.

My kids and I put in a combined 250 hours of sweat equity to qualify for our Habitat home. Family and friends were expected to put in another 250 hours. At first, I wasn’t sure how I would meet that criteria since all my family lived back in Iowa. But every Saturday at the worksite, new faces would appear, eager to spend their weekend helping my family build our dream house. Volunteers from area churches and Habitat board members came to help us build.

One day, even my coworkers surprised me by showing up to work on their day off. Neighbors brought coffee to volunteers one week and cookies the next. I was constantly overwhelmed by the goodness of people and the kindness of strangers. Over time, those strangers would form my community and my family here in Idaho.

These people and the bonds we formed are the true meaning of Habitat’s work for me. The power of Habitat’s ministry is in its people. The people who help you back up, the ones who will go out of their way for a stranger. Their selfless example made me look at life differently. It made me a more giving person. Because when someone has helped you, you just can’t help but want to help other people.

Now 25 years later, I’m retired, and my mortgage is paid off. My daughters are grown and on their own. My house is sturdy and on a single story so that I can grow older here in safety, comfort and peace.