NEW ORLEANS — From the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity:
The fourth NOAHH Women Build begins May 13 at 2310 St. Maurice Street in the Lower 9th Ward.
Women Build brings together teams of women who will plan, fund and build a home for Sandra Favors, a Volunteers of America employee who is also a self-employed sitter. The build dates will be held May 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21.
“I’ve always dreamed of owning a home,” said Favors, who previously lived in an unsafe apartment complex with her two grandsons in a one-bedroom apartment. “To have a secure place to live is a wish come true.”
Habitat doesn’t charge interest on the home loans it offers program participants. That means monthly mortgages for a new, three-bedroom home are often less than rent.
When Favors first applied to become a homeowner with Habitat, her income was too low to qualify for the program. She took on a second job and waited seven months to reapply successfully,
“It has been a great journey even though we had to live through the pandemic and the storms,” she said. “I thank God for all the people at NOAHH working on my home and behind the scenes. Habitat made my dream come true.”
Like all Habitat homebuyers (called partner families), Favors will work 250 hours helping others become homeowners by volunteering in the Habitat ReStore or on building sites. She also took classes through New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity in financial literacy and home maintenance to prepare for the realities and responsibilities of homeownership. She will also be on site in May building along with the Women Build volunteers.
Each Women Build team is responsible for raising at least $5,000 each, which is necessary to pay for the average $150,000 base cost to build a Habitat home.
New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity is an independent 501(c) 3 nonprofit affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. Its mission is to “responsibly build communities where families can thrive, in homes they can afford.”
