PORTLAND, Ore. — On Saturday, women came together to celebrate International Women's Day by volunteering to help people who need a place to call home.
Volunteers with Women Build, an extension of Habitat for Humanity, worked in Portland’s Cully neighborhood. Fifteen new homes are going up in a development called Cully Place. Twenty-five women volunteered their time to make sure families who need a warm and safe home, get it.
Minh Nguyen will be receiving one of those homes. To say she’s excited would be a bit of an understatement. Come June, she and her five kids will have a place to call home. They've been through a lot.
“I live in a shelter with my four kids and at that time I was pregnant,” said Nguyen.
She was a single mom who was stressed out and understandably worried about her children.
“I don't have anybody I can ask like, 'Help me, help me,' and I don't want my kids to go on the street and live out there,” she said.
After bouncing between shelters and apartments, she's now finally about to get her dream home.
“It's really amazing to be able to be a part of bringing families into a new home, into a safe space,” said Elizabeth Kozup, a Women Build volunteer.
Nguyen said once her home is complete, she’ll still help build other homes in the development as a way to show how thankful she is for her home.
She's got a message for anyone, and specifically women, who may be struggling to get by.
“You're a strong woman, don't give up anything,” she said.
Half of the 15 homes will be done by this summer and the other half in December.
Officials with Habitat for Humanity say Women Build hosts four volunteer days a year when women can come out and help build homes. The next one will be around Mother’s Day.
Find out more about Women Build or Habitat for Humanity online.