heir Sleeves To Build Affordable Houses
May 12, 2007Houses are being built by women, for women today in Brooklyn. The annual Habitat for Humanity Women Build event is taking place today in Bedford Stuyvesant. Fifty-two women are rolling up their sleeves to build nine affordable condos for families in need at Marcus Garvey Boulevard and Halsey Street. The women raised $40,000 just to come and volunteer at the site, where other charity groups have already started the construction. "We have exclusively women working today, it's a women build and we've been doing this for about seven years and usually on Mothers Day weekend and so this is a great opportunity for moms their daughters and people in the neighborhood to come build houses for people in need," said Shauna Long of Habitat for Humanity. "It's important for me to be out here because affordable housing is a large issue in New York City and moreover it is a woman issue because there are a lot of single mothers living below the poverty line here in New York," said volunteer Lesley Newman. The homes will be completed in the fall. To apply to live in one of the homes call 212-991-4000 or go to www.habitatnyc.org.