COVINGTON — With housing costs far outpacing wages in Louisiana, Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West kicked off its 23rd annual “Women Build” with a wall-raising event on Sept. 26 in Covington.
The launch comes as the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Out of Reach 2025 report finds that Louisiana renters must earn $22.88 an hour, or work 126 hours a week at the state’s minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment. Working 126 hours in a week is not physically possible, which means a minimum-wage job in Louisiana cannot provide enough income to pay for housing. Louisiana’s minimum wage is $15.63 per hour less than what is required to live here.
Nationally, the report sets the housing wage for the same apartment at $33.63 an hour. While Louisiana is more affordable than the national average, stable housing in the state is still well beyond the reach of many families.
The gap is clear when measured against actual earnings: the median renter household income in Louisiana is about $36,862, equal to roughly $17.72 an hour. That falls short of the $22.88 housing wage needed to live here by about $5.16 per hour, leaving typical renter families unable to meet the cost of a modest two-bedroom unit despite earning well over the state’s minimum wage.
The strain is especially severe for those at the lowest income levels, with about 76 percent of extremely low-income renters in the state considered severely cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than half their income on housing.
“Women Build” in Action
The severe shortage of affordable housing has made local solutions more urgent. One of the most impactful is “Women Build,” Habitat’s signature annual fundraiser and volunteer initiative. The “Women Build” program mobilizes women and men from across the region to take a hands-on role in addressing housing insecurity.
Unlike large-scale developments, the campaign focuses on constructing single-family homes for partner families. Each autumn, hundreds of volunteers contribute thousands of hours of labor. In a typical year, more than 400 people participate.
The 2025 campaign, which began with the Sept. 26 wall-raising, will continue through Nov. 21.
The Dronet Family
This year’s build is for Jason and Angelique Dronet and their two-year-old daughter, Abigail. The family has been living in an RV on Angelique’s parents’ property.
Thanks to the “Women Build” home, the Dronets plan to move into stable housing by next year.
Habitat’s Local Impact
Since its founding in 1981, Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West has built and sold more than 300 homes across west St. Tammany Parish, serving communities including Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville and Madisonville.
The organization often runs multiple builds at once, using funds from its ReStore operations and community contributions. On average, Habitat STW completes about 10 to 12 homes each year, depending on volunteer capacity and available funding.
Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West partners with families to build and purchase affordable homes, supported by volunteer labor, community donations and proceeds from its ReStore retail operations.
Organizers say “Women Build” is more than a construction effort. Each year, hundreds of volunteers unite to transform raw materials into homes and hope, one family at a time.
Chevron’s Role
Chevron has long been a partner in Habitat’s local efforts, including “Women Build.” At the wall-raising, Chevron representatives stood alongside volunteers and Habitat leaders as the Dronet home’s first walls went up.
About Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organization founded in 1976 that works in more than 70 countries and in communities across all 50 U.S. states. Its mission is to bring people together to build homes, communities and hope by partnering with families to create affordable housing solutions. Habitat relies on volunteer labor, financial contributions and the support of ReStore resale outlets to construct and improve homes. Since its founding, Habitat has helped millions of people achieve safe and affordable housing.
