HabiJax, which is Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville, is finishing up two new side-by-side homes in the New Town area — part of its “Women’s Build” campaign.
The scope of the campaign is to provide struggling female head-of-households with the foundation of homeownership. HabiJax started fundraising for it in June.
Friday, several volunteers were painting walls in the homes. In January a single mother of four and a woman helping to raise her grandchild will be moving into the homes.
“It’s really very important for people to come out to the site to see different neighborhoods that they do not live in and to also then participate because we know when people participate they become greater ambassadors for our work,” said HabiJax CEO Mary Kay O’Rourke.
O’Rourke said the homes were fully funded with the help of many sponsors, including Daily’s and Baptist Health at the top levels.
“Some [of the companies] are just supportive of it because it’s their workforce,” O’Rourke said. “Daily’s especially, a lot of their workforce in their stores are young women or single moms.”
HabiJax says in Duval County single mothers head a fourth of households.
The women moving in will still be expected to pay mortgages. Their homes are surrounded by other HabiJax homes.
HabjiJax started focuses on the New Town are in 2016.
The program allows home ownership for typically a much lower cost than it would be to rent the same-size home.
Lindsey Kilbride can be reached at lkilbride@wjct.org, 904-358-6359 or on Twitter at @lindskilbride.
