by Carie McMichael
Home may be where the heart is, but families throughout Indiana often depend on the service of skilled volunteers with Habitat for Humanity to deliver those four cherished walls. Here in Indianapolis, the spirit of community is alive and well in the Greater Indy Habitat Women Build, which has helped families realize their dream of home ownership for over a decade.
Since 2014, the Greater Indy Women Build has assembled teams of well-seasoned female professionals to build and advocate for affordable housing within their communities. Through their service, they deliver life-changing housing for families in need while bucking tired stereotypes surrounding women in construction.
For the fifth year in a row, Jamie Gauker of J. Gauker Interiors has served as the team leader of the Greater Indy Habitat Women Build, and takes great pride in serving her community. “I am extremely passionate about the Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build,” Gauker says, “I am all about helping women.” Gauker was in charge of ensuring the team had all the tools necessary to fundraise this noble endeavor.
The program’s continued efforts aim to bridge the gap in affordable housing. The Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana has estimated the homeownership rate for Indianapolis is only 54%, which is well below state and national levels. Combine this with rising building costs and the result is thousands of Hoosier families in need.
Gauker says, “The women who sign up to get help from Habitat for Humanity go through so much to get approved to get a zero interest loan – not a free house…I have so much respect for these women who want to make a better life for themselves and their family.”
Team members who return to the program year after year are drawn in not just by the pull of philanthropy, but also the chance to empower one another as well as other women and their families. Gauker credits the success of the build to her persevering team members, which includes a great group of women from Home Artisans, “Everyone showed up to work hard to make this house a home for the new owners. I am blessed to be part of such a great team!”
