Improving the odds
High home prices make home ownership out of reach for too many Waukesha County families. For families whose only choice is to rent, the realities are daunting. Some families pay close to 50 percent of their income on housing costs alone.
Habitat for Humanity Waukesha is working to make home ownership a reality for more area families, particularly female-headed households. Currently, more than 85 percent of Habitat homeowners are women. Building safe and affordable homes with zero percent mortgages, Habitat for Humanity Waukesha is making home ownership a dream come true for families with qualifying incomes.
This year, the Women and Girls Fund of Waukesha County teamed up with Habitat’s 2017 Women Build project on White Rock Avenue in Waukesha to increase home ownership possibilities for women. A $10,000 Women and Girls Fund grant helped introduced area women volunteers to construction skills as they assisted in building two affordable houses for lower-to-moderate income Waukesha families. These houses will offer families a home of their own, inspiring pride in ownership and a new-found sense of self-reliance.
In its third year, the Habitat’s Women Build project is demonstrating the powerful role women have in addressing community challenges. Habitat Waukesha’s extended goal is to build or rehab nine family units on White Rock Avenue.
