Crystal Helsel maneuvered sheetrock around her under-construction house Saturday morning with several other women volunteers during Habitat for Humanity’s 10th annual National Women Build Week.
About a dozen volunteers came out to help Helsel hang sheetrock in her 1,312-square-foot home that will boast five bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Helsel, a single mom of six children, four of whom still live at home, said she’s helped build seven homes, including her own with Evergreen Habitat for Humanity — doing everything from the foundation to lifting walls to putting on the roof to siding.
“You get a lot of experience building. I learned how to use power tools and that’s awesome,” said Helsel, 37. “It’s so much fun helping other families until you get to your own house, and by then, you know who your neighbors are. … Everyone comes together to build affordable homes for families.”
The house is one of four stand-alones and three pairs of zero-lot-lines — homes similar to unattached townhouses — that make up the McKibbin Commons subdivision in Vancouver’s Father Blanchet Park neighborhood, said Courtney Patterson, a construction site coordinator. The subdivision broke ground about 1 1/2 years ago, she said.
Lowe’s helped Habitat launch National Women Build Week in 2008 to encourage women to advocate for affordable housing and emphasize homeowner challenges.
“The whole point is to empower women and teach them how to build just as well as anyone else,” Patterson said.
Teresa Huddleston, 61, of Vancouver started volunteering with Evergreen Habitat in February. When she started, she knew little about construction, and now she’s going to Guatemala in June to help build.
“I have been on the roof, laid subflooring, (installed) windows. I love it. It’s fun. I get to wear a tool belt. That’s what I like the most,” she said. “Give me a hammer. Give me a saw.”
Patterson said Habitat’s Women Build committee raised about $75,000 for the project — $35,000 of which was donated by Providence and PeaceHealth.
Helsel found out in October 2015 she was chosen for the low-income housing program and has been helping to build other homes until construction started on hers in January.
“I wanted to own my own home and didn’t want to have a huge payment,” she said. “It helps to have a stable home for my family … for generations,” she said.
Rent for her three-bedroom apartment accounts for 85 percent of her income. After switching to a month-to-month lease, her rent jumped $400 to more than $1,600 per month.
“I have no control over that,” she said. “Rent is crazy right now.” But through Habitat, her mortgage payment will be no more than 30 percent of her income.
She and her four children, ages 17, 15, 10 and 7, two dogs and two cats hope to move into their house by late summer.
