Habitat for Humanity to build 2 homes for single moms this fall in Jacksonville

Two new homes will be built this fall in the New Town neighborhood as Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville (HabiJax) kicked off its 2017 Women’s Build — build[her] campaign on June 20.

The nearly 1,200-square-foot homes will be built on Hardee Street in October as part of the initiative, which aims to provide homes to struggling head-of-households in Jacksonville.

Mary Kay O’Rourke, HabiJax president and CEO, said homeowners have to meet requirements including the ability to repay the mortgage by having a stable income and volunteering for 300 hours with the organization.

“The Women’s Build is something that Habitat International has annually,” she said. “It’s usually held around Mother’s Day, but we pushed it back to have more time to plan and fund raise.”

Karen Burdette, founder and chairman of the marketing agency, Burdette Ketchum, spearheaded the initiative as chairwoman.

“The HabiJax Women’s Build is something with great potential to change the lives of deserving women in this community,” she said. “I was personally astounded at the statistics.”

In Duval County, 25 percent of households are led by single mothers and 21 percent of women are living at the federal poverty level, which is $23,050 for a family of four.

Burdette said the campaign aims to raise money for a minimum of two homes this year.

“If we could double that number and build more houses, it would make a huge impact in our community and for these families,” she said. “It would be life changing.”

Burdette added that $125,000 has been raised through donations from sponsors such as Daily’s Convenience Stores and Baptist Health System, which have each committed to donating $50,000 to the Women’s Build.

“We’re a long way towards our goal for those two homes and we’re very hopeful we can do much more than that,” she said.

Burdette is serving alongside Women’s Build honorary chairwomen State Attorney Melissa Nelson and Deloris Patterson, JSO assistant chief of Zone 5.

Patterson said partnerships with HabiJax have a larger impact as a result of offering women the opportunity to provide a stable environment for their family.

“Crime rates in New Town are down by double digits in the last two years and it’s not just because my officers are doing a great job or that the State Attorney’s office is doing a great job,” she said. “It’s because of partnerships like this.”

In the coming weeks, Burdette said she will meet with local companies, women-led organizations and individuals throughout Jacksonville to ask for their financial support.

Eight women’s organizations pledged to support the initiative including Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association, Junior League of Jacksonville and Women’s Giving Alliance.

“The commitment and interest in this Women’s Build is powerful,” O’Rourke said.

Burdette said she hopes the campaign raises awareness in order to meet the need for safe, affordable and decent housing for single women raising families in Jacksonville.

“We plan to establish this as a sustaining annual campaign with a goal to build more and more houses every year,” she said. “The time is right for us all to come together to support these hard working, deserving women and their children.”

Ann Friedman: (904) 359-4619