Women Build is a national Habitat for Humanity program that encourages and empowers women to make a difference by building affordable homes and stable communities.  We raise the funds, learn construction skills and use those skills to help move families out of poverty by building simple, safe, affordable homes.  Women Build is not about excluding men; it is about including women in the field of construction, so we can all help the cause of affordable housing.

Locally, Women Build is a Habitat coalition of Fairfield County women who have accepted the challenge of eliminating substandard housing in our community—one house at a time.  We volunteer our time to raise money to sponsor and then build houses.  You do not need to have construction skills to volunteer – Habitat staff and task leaders will teach you the skills you need to help build the house.

We have just begun the planning process for Women Build 7 (WB7), and have committed to building a Habitat home in Stamford.   We are currently in the process of raising a full House Sponsorship, $250,000 so that we can begin construction.  The WB7 home will be one unit of an eight-unit townhouse complex at the corner of West Main Street and Spruce Street.

What you can do for WB7 now:

·          Join the Steering Committee

o         Events

o         Treasury

o         Volunteer Coordination

o         Public/Media Relations

o         Fundraising

·          Help organize a fundraiser

·          Make a donation or pledge to meet  a challenge grant

o         Make an online donation at www.habitatcfc.org. Please select “Women Build” in the Designation field, or

o         Send a check to: Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County,
Attn: Women Build, 1542 Barnum Avenue , Bridgeport , CT 06610. 
Please note “For Women Build” on the check.

What you can do soon:

·          Organize a group, raise the funding for a challenge grant, and schedule a build day

o         Challenge grants for groups of 10 are $5,500 per build day

·          Attend Lowe’s clinics to learn skills

·          Help spread the word to news/media outlets—be creative

·          Join our Honor a Woman campaign in time for Mother’s Day week

 What you can do once construction begins:

·          Volunteer to build on site

·          Volunteer to lead a task on site

·          Take photographs

·          Register volunteers

·          Write Thank You notes

·          Help write press releases and get publicity

Please contact Eileen Bakos or Ellen Quinn at womenbuildhfhcfc@yahoo.com for details on volunteering and contributing.   

Thank you for making a difference in the lives of others!