CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) –In recognition and celebration of International Women's Day, Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County and Lowe's are partnering to raise awareness of the global need for safe and affordable housing for women in a week-long initiative.
International Women Build Week, beginning Monday, Mar. 8, will run throughout Mar. 15.
Over the course of the week, Habitat and Lowes will launch more than 300 Women Build projects supporting women-led households across the United States, Canada, and India to drive awareness and address the need.
Women have been impacted majorly 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.
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.
Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County is currently building with Breshauna Huff, a hard-working single mother of two who is excited for the opportunities that homeownership will create for her family.
"The fact that we will have stability, and we won't have to move from house to house…It will be a weight off my shoulders," Breshauna said.
Every day, millions of women face the challenge of a future without adequate, stable housing.
Lowe's and Habitat's partnership began in 2003. To date, the program has brought together more than 143,000 women volunteers who have built or repaired nearly 6,000 houses.
