Women Industry Volunteers Complete Women Build Habitat House

A volunteer construction crew of local women picked up hammers, paint brushes, screwdrivers and more to advance the construction of a new Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis home as part of Habitat's Women Build program, underwritten by Lowe's.

The volunteers, including embers of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) and Missouri Women In Trades (MOWIT) are helping Pandora Crosby complete her new home on Sheridan Avenue in St. Louis. Crosby plans to close on her home on December 15 and move in the following Saturday. The home is one of 27 Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis houses underway in the Jeff-Vander-Lou Neighborhood.

Beth Barton (left) and Melissa Keevil of MOWIT install Hardieplank siding on a Habitat for Humanity St. Louis house as Women Build volunteers. The women of Women Build expanded their commitment from one home to two when no other volunteers came forward to build the second house.

Crosby, a Blumeyer public housing resident since 1991, has to put in 450 hours of "sweat equity" and put down percent of the home's cost to purchase the home from Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis. Part of her mortgage debt will include a $40,000 loan that she will not have to pay back if she maintains ownership and residence in the house for 10 years.

Lowe's contributed $50,000 to help Habitat for Humanity St. Louis pay for the construction of the home.

The Women Build volunteers undertook construction of a neighboring house when no other volunteers stepped forward to work on it.

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