For 16 years, women from all walks of life, corporate and independent businesses and organizations have worked with Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties to fund projects, build homes, and revitalize neighborhoods via the Women Build program. Over the course of three weeks this year, from April 29 through May 13, working side-by-side with our homeowners and volunteers, women will once again empower one another and help to address the affordable housing crisis.
Habitat’s recently dedicated community in Capitol Hill – Capitol View – is another in the growing list of examples of how women are supporting women to obtain safe, affordable housing in the region. Nine of the 13 new homes in the Capitol View development are now owned by women-led families. For a virtual tour of the Capitol View development, follow this link: Capitol View Virtual Tour
Meet the Vo Family
When Willa Vo and her family accepted the keys to their Capitol View home on March 4, it was the reward for six years of hard work. Willa and her family landed in Seattle from Vietnam, when housing prices were two-thirds below today’s. Willa, her mother Truc, and sister Thalia worked hard and saved. Still, area home prices outpaced their efforts, making a market home purchase impossible. But Habitat’s Capitol View development revived their hopes for homeownership. “Habitat for Humanity helped me have a home with an affordable price,” says Willa. Today, she and her Mom have shorter commutes to their work in an Amazon fulfillment warehouse. Thalia is a full time UW student, and they all pursue their love of exploring the region with the free time they’ve gained. “We have our own completely-new-home, and the affordable mortgage allows us to save for our next dream – opening a restaurant.”
Veronica Fleming Helps Others with Housing
Veronica Fleming moved from Atlanta to Seattle in summer 2021 with a freshly earned bachelor’s degree in psychology and a new job as a Housing Social Worker. She quickly fell in love with the city, especially Capitol Hill. However, when she arrived in Seattle, she learned homeownership was beyond her financial reach…until she found Habitat. Today, Veronica enjoys her own home in the Capitol View development. From her work with housing, she’s keenly aware of the important role housing stability plays in the stability of life overall. She already enjoys the reduction in anxiety that comes with permanent, stable, affordable housing and the welcome impact it’s having on her mental health. “Owning my own home brings me stability, not just rent stability but consistency and lack of fear of leases ending.” And Veronica now has easy access to all there is to discover in and around the city from her Capitol Hill home.
Resilience is Becauley Elsie’s Super Power
Becaley Elsie could be a poster child for resilience. She came to Seattle from Phoenix, AZ to work with a theater group. When that opportunity evaporated, she found herself homeless and jobless for a short time, but she was already in love with the city and determined to stay. She found a job as a commercial bus driver while completing her sweat equity hours and preparing to move into her new Capitol View home. Becauley and her four ‘cat daughters’ accepted the keys to their new home on March 4, delighted for the space to “chase anything that moves,” and the room to host her beloved nephew when he visits. Today she’s concentrating her efforts on a career in podcasting, art, stand-up, and running workshops to heal trauma, while pursuing her passion for small theater. She specializes in the healing process and hopes to expand her reach to help more people. She’s happy to be living in the city where she’s close to the arts and diversity. With her Habitat home, Becauley happily declares, “I am breaking a generational cycle of never owning a home.”
These women and the others currently housed in the Capitol View community have benefited directly from the efforts of other women through Women Build. This year’s two-week event culminates with a Women of Impact Build on May 6, where volunteers come together to build new affordable homes for hardworking, low-income families at a local project.
It’s not too late to sign up for a spot at Women Build – click here for more information: Habitat for Humaniity SKKC Women Build
