Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County, Bank of America, and Lowe’s partnered in March to raise awareness of the global need for safe and affordable housing for women during International Women Build Week (March 8-15). Habitat CFC hosted two virtual Women Build events: a Lunch & Learn on Women & Housing with special guest Dr. Tiffany Manuel, and a Happy Hour Wine and Chocolate pairing with BE Chocolat’s Chef Benoit.
The virtual events were attended by nearly 150 participants and aimed to foster a dialogue about the unique housing challenges that women in our community face, as well as to invite local women to become involved with Habitat CFC’s Women Build program – which seeks to engage women in all aspects of Habitat’s work from building to advocacy and fundraising. The virtual programming was made possible by National Women Build partner Lowe’s as well as local events sponsor Bank of America.
“Bank of America is proud of our longstanding local and national partnership with Habitat for Humanity – 35 years strong, building and preserving homes and creating healthy communities around the world,” said Carol Heller, Southern CT Market Manager, Bank of America. “We were thrilled to sponsor International Women Build Week with the local Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County, having fun while connecting women to important social issues and to each other across our region.”
Habitat CFC’s virtual Women Build events were a part of more than 300 Women Build projects supporting women-led households across the United States, Canada, and India to drive awareness and address the need.
In the Virtual Lunch & Learn: Women & Housing, Dr. Tiffany Manual encouraged attendees to consider what resources and gifts they can offer to Habitat’s work and affordable housing overall, saying “Now is the time to ask yourself- what can I do to invest in the power and capacity of women from all walks of life?”
Women have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, from job loss to evictions and foreclosures. According to The National Women’s Law Center, 80 percent of U.S. jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic were held by women. The United Nations (UN) has reported that 40 percent of all employed women globally work in the industries hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The past year has reinforced the importance of safe and affordable housing. Our homes have become work spaces, classrooms, gyms, and so much more. Every person deserves safe and affordable housing and that is what Habitat for Humanity strives to do every day.
Despite the unprecedented challenges women are facing, women remain on the frontlines of the pandemic as essential workers, as caretakers within their households, and too often have to make the difficult decision between maintaining a place to call home and paying for food, health care, childcare, education or reliable transportation. Harvard University’s State of the Nation’s Housing 2020 report revealed that 37.1 million U.S. households spent more than 30 percent of their incomes on housing in 2019, including 17.6 million spending more than 50 percent. The effects of the pandemic have further highlighted the need for safe and affordable housing, as 29 percent of renters and 36 percent of homeowners experienced employment income loss between March and September of 2020.
To learn more or join the conversation, visit habitat.org/womenbuild or follow #BuildHer and #WomenBuild on social media to share and view stories from around the world.
About Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County
Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County builds communities and improves lives by eliminating substandard housing and creating affordable homeownership possibilities for families in Fairfield County. Habitat CFC has a proud thirty-six year history and well-earned reputation for success throughout the region. We are a developer with a commitment to “green” construction, a family service agency, non-profit financial institution, community advocate and provider of over 8,000 volunteer opportunities each year. Habitat CFC transforms abandoned properties into homes for tax paying, contributing community members. Since 1985 Habitat CFC has dedicated 266 homes and has helped more than 1,100 family members in Fairfield County. Our success rate is well over 95%. Our ReStore, located in Stratford, accepts donations of furniture, appliances and building materials, and then resells them. The proceeds from the ReStore help the organization build more affordable housing in Coastal Fairfield County. For more information, visit habitatcfc.org.
About Bank of America
At Bank of America, we’re guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We’re delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect with us on Twitter (@BofA_News).
About Lowe’s in the Community
As a FORTUNE® 50 home improvement company, Lowe’s is committed to creating safe, affordable housing and helping to develop the next generation of skilled trade experts through nonprofit partnerships. Across every community we serve, Lowe’s associates donate their time and expertise through the Lowe’s Heroes volunteer program. For the latest news, visit Newsroom.Lowes.com or follow @LowesMedia on Twitter.
About Dr. Tiffany Manuel:
Housing policy expert Dr. T (she/her/hers) is a mother, activist, and social scientist with 25 years of experience training changemakers in how to make the case for a more just, equitable world. Trained in quantitative and qualitative methods, Dr. T is passionate about translating the growing body of research about public will building into practical advice that can be implemented by leaders around the globe. Read about our featured speaker, Dr. Tiffany Manuel and the nonprofit she founded at www.thecasemade.com/about.
