'We can do it!' 'We can do it!' (December 30, 2005)

Women build home on their own at Livermore Habitat for Humanity site
by Rebecca Guyon

It's a regular day at the Habitat for Humanity site on Freeda Court in Livermore as volunteers work on several of the 22 homes that make up this neighborhood established for low-income families. Today, the frames for the second floor walls are going up on one of the houses thanks to the hard work of six women who are doing the heavy lifting all by themselves--and that's just the way they want it. Women from Pleasanton and other Tri-Valley cities are rolling up their sleeves and saying, "We can do it!" as they handle power tools and pound nails on the designated "Women Build" house, a home built by women for a family headed by a single mom.

"It's great working on the Women Build because at other sites, you'd normally turn to the guys to help with strength or ask them questions," said Vernie Laube, 70, of Pleasanton who is a regular volunteer at the site. "Now it's like, 'Yes, we can do it ourselves.'" Vernie has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity for 15 years and was even given a special pink tool belt to recognize her hard work, which she wears at the site.

"It makes you stretch yourself and overcome fears," added Diana Mendenhall, 63, of Pleasanton as she and Vernie helped raise the walls on the second floor of the house. This was quite a feat for Diana who said she is afraid of heights. "You get over it because this is where the work is. It comes down to, are you going to do it or be a wimp?"

Diana and her husband, Howard, have organized groups of volunteers through their church, Pleasanton Presbyterian, to work on Habitat for Humanity sites across the Bay Area for the past 14 years. The two have even worked at international sites and just got back from a three-week building trip to Armenia. But that doesn't mean they're taking a break any time soon. They recently went to Chicago for leadership training so they could go on a build in the Persian Gulf this spring.

Despite her many years of volunteering, this is the first time Diana has galvanized volunteers for an all-women site. That's probably because this is the first time East Bay Habitat, the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, has offered such an activity. Lowe's Hardware Store donated $50,000 to sponsor the Livermore Women Build.

Moving into the Women Build house are Carey Hylton, 43, and her children, Chelsea Ransome, 16, and Eli Hylton, 8. Carey, a Pleasanton native, works as a registrar in the Admitting Department at ValleyCare Medical Center. She first came across plans for the Livermore site six years ago and followed its progress, making sure to apply for a house the second they started to take applications, which was nearly two years ago. Carey and her children were homeless six years ago and are past residents of Shepherd's Gate, a shelter for homeless and battered women and children located in Livermore. Through Shepherd's Gate, Carey and her family found a one-bedroom apartment and a car, a key step in getting back on their feet. From there, they moved into a small duplex and then a small house where they currently rent.

"I never thought I would own a house in my life," Carey said.

Families moving into Habitat for Humanity Houses are required to give "sweat equity" by doing 500 hours of work on their house, meaning Carey is out at the site swinging hammers with the rest of the volunteers.

"It blows my mind what they go out there to do," Carey said. "I have this wonderful opportunity to get a house, but they go out of the love in their hearts. It's amazing that people are so giving."

Through Habitat for Humanity, Carey and her neighbors will not only own houses, but also develop a community. Carey and the other nine families that were first picked to move into the neighborhood are already very close, attending each others' birthday parties and discussing who will be the neighborhood babysitter once they move in. Carey has also become friends with the volunteers at the site. Both Diana and Vernie volunteer in the ValleyCare gift shop and frequently run into Carey while she is at work.

The Livermore site is the first Habitat for Humanity construction project in the Tri-Valley. As housing prices are expanding out in the suburbs, particularly the Tri-Valley, the organization saw a need for a housing site in this area. Many people who work in Livermore and provide services, like teachers and firefighters, cannot afford to live in the community they serve, said East Bay Habitat Development and Marketing Associate Patty Wong. That is why East Bay Habitat opened seven homes on the site to mid-income families chosen by the city of Livermore. The homes are also certified "green buildings," meaning environmentally-friendly building techniques and materials are used to build the homes. This tactic is not only environmentally savvy, but will also help the families cut the cost of utility bills, Wong said.

Work on the site began in the fall of 2004 with an anticipated completion date of 2006. The women working on Carey's home are keeping up with the progress of the other homes on the site and sure to meet their target date, showing women can handle construction just as well as the men.

"You feel more self-sufficient," Carey said about working on the Women Build, adding, "and, at the end of the day, when the floors at the other houses are covered in sawdust and nails, my floor is swept neat."

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