Skagit Habitat for Humanity needs your help!

And 85% of female-headed single parent households aren’t making enough.  For the past few years, we’ve tried to raise awareness of this struggle that women and their families face through our National Women Build Week, held each year in May. This year, we won't be able to hold National Women Build Week in person. As Washington works harder to keep us all safe from the coronavirus, many people are losing work -- those families who already struggle are struggling even more. Now more than ever, people need affordable housing.

Help us celebrate this year’s Women Build virtually by reading the triumphs of some of our own female-headed partner families and making donations so that we can make safe and affordable housing a reality for so many families just like theirs. $10, $25, $100 – anything you can give makes a huge difference in the mission of building homes, communities, and hope.

Maria applied to Skagit Habitat for Humanity’s Affordable Homeownership program a hardworking single mom of two boys. She was a teenager when she got pregnant with her oldest son, and enrolled in the GRADS program in Bellingham, which offers young parents the opportunity to finish high school and get a diploma while offering childcare.

She also took Running Start courses at Bellingham Technical College, often working 15-hour days between her two jobs while completing her Nurse Assistant Certified course. She missed spending time with her family while she was working through school. Maria described that time in her life in her application letter: “It was very hard for me, but my only hope was that it would get better for us once I finished my education and got a good job.”

When Maria applied to our housing program in 2012, she worked as a Nurse Assistant Certified in a Life Care Center. She helped patients with their daily tasks; things like bathing, getting dressed, and going for walks. “I love what I do. You have to have a passion [for] helping others and a kind heart to be able to do this kind of job… I could never be able to afford a mortgage payment with my income alone.”

Even knowing that homeownership could be out of reach with her income, she worked hard to make sure she was financially healthy to support her dreams. She wanted to go back to school, and… "One day I want to be able to buy my own house. I want to give my kids the stability that I never had as a kid and all kids should have. This opportunity to my family and I would be a step ahead and the start to a better future.”

We celebrated Maria’s Home Dedication in January of 2015 with her friends and family, alongside the donors and volunteers just like you who helped her build her home. With one dream made a reality, she was able to start on the next one. In 2018, Maria was awarded a Soroptimist Scholarship, allowing her to continue her education in the healthcare field. In December of 2019, she graduated with honors as a Medical Assistant.

As you may have heard, Skagit Habitat for Humanity has had to postpone our in-person fundraisers and close the Store. With our main sources of funding put on hold, we need your help so that we can keep building for families like Maria’s. If this story of a strong, caring, hardworking mom reminds you of your own, please donate in her honor at the link below.