“… renting was like being stuck on a hamster wheel that she could never get off. Every rent increase was another sleepless night doing mental math about groceries versus utilities. “
Some days, Sarah looks around her home and still can’t quite believe it’s really hers. It’s a sanctuary for her family; and she fought tooth and nail for it.
Getting to this point wasn’t an easy or linear road. Sarah spent years in an abusive marriage that was slowly crushing her spirit. The kind of situation that had her questioning her own reality. Where “I love you” got tangled up with control and fear. But from somewhere deep within the most sacred part of her spirit, she found the courage to walk away with nothing but a fragile belief that life would get better and four kids who believed their mom could do anything.
Except renting was like being stuck on a hamster wheel that she could never get off. Every rent increase was another sleepless night doing mental math about groceries versus utilities. Every inspection felt like someone reminding her that this apartment wasn’t really hers. The lack of privacy left her feeling like her family still wasn’t truly safe.
And amidst all of this, when her three-year-old nephew was facing foster care, Sarah didn’t hesitate to step in for him. Maybe she should have—logically, financially, practically. But the heart doesn’t do math, does it?
Then Habitat for Humanity and Women Build came into the picture, and Sarah’s life took a fortuitous turn. Dozens of women who believed in Sarah’s dream even when she was still figuring out how to believe in it herself picked up hammers and raised funds to build a safe home for Sarah’s family as they continued to heal. Sarah found the experience particularly meaningful as it “showed [her] kids that commitment and hard work matter”.
She also shared that the Habitat program “…taught me how to budget and save money—something I’d never been able to do before. But it’s more than just the financial stuff. I have confidence now. I have security. And I have a home that I absolutely adore and am so incredibly proud of!”
Now her nephew calls it home too. He’s got his own space and a bedtime routine that doesn’t involve packing up his things. Sarah’s kids invite friends over and decorate their rooms without worrying about landlord regulations. It’s the kind of security you can’t put a price on—the kind that lets a family breathe.
We don’t know yet which families will receive Women Build homes this year, but we know there are Sarahs out there waiting. Moms (and grandmothers and guardians) who are working two jobs and still coming up short. Families who feel like coming up with a down payment is as likely as winning the lottery or sleeping in cramped spaces that will never feel like home. People who just need someone to believe in them and give them a chance.
That’s where you come in. Families are waiting, and we need your hands and your heart this year. Sign up for Women Build today—because when women stand together, we don’t just build houses. We build hope and new beginnings.
