On March 12, Winthrop Arts teamed up with a Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County, Inc. (Habitat for Humanity) Women Build team led by Chrissy Nieves to paint studs which will form the structure of a new home. The home, one of over 30 homes being built this year by Habitat for Humanity, will be located in a new neighborhood in Temple Terrace on Sweet Daisy Ln.
Women Build is a Habitat for Humanity initiative that focuses on the issues women face in gaining access to affordable housing.
According to Melissa Crowther, vice president of resource development for Habitat for Humanity, “Each year women from all backgrounds come together to help a single mother in Hillsborough County realize her dream of homeownership. Around the world, and in our own community, women are more likely to live in substandard and poverty conditions. This is especially true of women who have children.”
Crowther said, “Stud signing is a tradition of most Habitats. When volunteers help us internally frame a home, we invite them to sign the studs for the family who will make this their forever home. Volunteers leave special messages of love and encouragement on the studs. We decided to take this a step further by asking all of our participating Women Builders to decorate a stud that will be used in the internal framing of our 2021 Women Build homes. I envision the bones of this new home awash in vibrant colors imbued with the blessings, love and hope for a prosperous future that we all desire for the new homeowner.”
The home that Nieves’ team, known as Stud Finders, is working on is for Shalonda Granger and her twin daughters, A’Lana and Giselle.
Nieves said, “We wanted to work with Winthrop Arts to create something special for this new home.”
Nieves added, “I want the community to know that these homes are not free. The families pay market value, and they are a part of the construction effort.”
Habitat for Humanity provides individuals and families who make between 30-80 percent of the median income for Hillsborough County an opportunity to become homeowners with affordable mortgages.
A Women Build team is made up of at least 70 percent women. If you would like to put a team together, please contact Crowther at mcrowther@habitathillsborough.org. For more information, please visit www.habitathillsborough.org. For more information on Winthrop Arts, please visit www.winthroparts.org.
