Habitat for Humanity, Red Deer has teamed up with Lowe's Canada to kick off International Women Build Week.
From March 8 to 15, the event starting on International Women’s Day, will draw attention to the global need for women’s access to safe and affordable housing.
Karen Vavrek, the CEO for Habitat for Humanity, Red Deer says it's very important for local women. "We want to show the importance of providing vulnerable women, in Central Alberta, with affordable housing.
We are very happy to be able to build four units in Blackfalds, and two of those units are going to be home to single mother led households. It's important to spotlight the need of these families who struggle to make ends meet on limited incomes"
As far as future plans for other communities in Central Alberta, Vavrek says they are always looking for new options. "There's a lot of factors that we have to consider when planning where and when to build.
We look for opportunities to build in different municipalities where we can find affordable land or even donations of land, to be able to build for families in need."
Unfortunately COVID-19 has also had an effect on the builds. "We had to delay our build in Blackfalds. It was scheduled for a Spring 2020 start but we delayed and broke ground in August.
Because local businesses and individuals have also been affected by COVID we have seen a drop in donations. It is something we understand. That being said, we've had long standing relationships with lots of businesses and trade partners who are still giving when they can."
If you would like to volunteer or make a donation for Habitat for Humanity, check out their webpage here.
Written by Darin Clark lacombeonline.com