Women Build - Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity

What is Women Build?

Women Build is Habitat for Humanity’s program founded in 1991 for women who want to take concrete action in building strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter. Participants learn new skills and help to improve lives and communities locally. Women Build brings together women from all walks of life to address the housing crisis facing millions of women and children worldwide. According to Habitat for Humanity International, an estimated 15,000 women participate annually across the US, and Women Build crews have built more than 2,300 Habitat homes.

Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build program provides an opportunity for women to take a proactive step toward providing decent, affordable shelter for everyone in Linn and Benton counties. No prior experience is necessary. Women build is dedicated to helping women gain the construction skills and experience they need to build a Habitat home. This is a great opportunity for women to learn new skills, build relationships, and build their community.

Opportunities to Get Involved

Build on Site

Women CAN and DO build, and they build great Habitat homes. Join our construction crew leaders on the build site. There are many tasks regardless of experience. Habitat Women Build crews have included women from their teens well into their retirement years. On Habitat build sites, women have often proved themselves every bit as capable as men or mixed-gender crews. Men are often involved in Women Build training programs and build projects in supportive roles and as subcontractors when women from the necessary trade are not available.

Attend Women Build Classes

Click here to learn more about upcoming Women Build opportunities

Advocate

Make your voice heard. Become advocates for policies that help remove barriers to adequate, affordable housing. Take action by asking your government representatives to change the system, policies, attitudes and institutional behaviors that lead to inadequate housing. Send a message to your representatives here.

Our 2021 Women Build Family

Kathy first learned about Habitat for Humanity by volunteering on her friend Kyle’s home build in 2013. Seeing the home come together made her realize that there was another road to homeownership. She began her partnership with Habitat in 2020, and is already making her way through homeowner orientation classes and completing sweat equity hours at ReStore.

While fulfilling her requirements with Habitat, she is also taking care of her two kids and working as a dental assistant in Cedar Rapids. The boys have aspirations in the tech field: Jayden (15) recently saved up and built his own computer, and Kinnick (11) dreams of becoming a video game developer. For now, they’re just excited to have their own rooms.

“We’ve moved a lot,” says Kathy. “Every time we get into a new house, the boys ask, ‘Are we staying here forever?’ I have to tell them, ‘No, we’re just renting again.’ I’d like to give them the stability I had growing up in a place I could call home.”

Kathy and her boys moved into their Habitat home in Palo in 2021!

The 2021 Women Build is made possible by:

Anonymous donor, Bankers Trust, GreatAmerica Financial Services*, ITC Midwest, Linn County Board of Supervisors Witwer Trust, Lowe’s, Metro North Rotary, New Leader Manufacturing, Schneider Electric, Select Structural Engineering, UFG Insurance, Wells Fargo, West Linn Community Group

*Corporate Donor Advised Fund

Thank you for all your support!