AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Habitat for Humanity is celebrating women one day ahead of Mother’s Day.
At the organization's Women Build Day 2024, a crew of about 50 women helped build 12 town homes, 11 of which will go to single mothers like Melissa Bowman.
Bowman has dreamed of owning a home since she was a child, but the cost of living in Austin has made that dream difficult to achieve. She’s rented in Austin for the past 16 years, all while trying to find a home she can afford.
“My fingers have burned going through Zillow,” Bowman said. “I have tried for so long, from when I moved here, until now. And then it’s just, I would say in the last four years, has been impossible.”
According to the most recent numbers from Zillow, the average home price in Austin is currently $546,619.
“It’s my home, and I felt like I was getting pushed out,” Bowman said.
That feeling shifted as soon as Bowman found out she would be receiving a Habitat home. She hopes the house becomes a place her 16-year-old and 18-year-old boys can create new memories in.
“I hope they just feel like this is home,” Bowman said. “This is where we’ll come back to, to introduce me to their potential significant other, this is where I’ll watch their kids … this is where they’ll come and see me in my rocker, retired, knitting, you know, whatever I’ve got going on.”
Sixty-five percent of the homes built by Austin Habitat for Humanity are given to single mothers. Leaders with the organization say homeownership is important to building a better life for their families.
“These are people that are going to own their homes, so they’re going to build wealth, they’re going to have stability, they’re not going to have to move if rent goes up,” Michele Anderson, the CEO of Austin Habitat for Humanity, said.
Habitat for Humanity estimates that all 12 town homes in East Austin on Circulo de Amistad will be ready for their families to move in by fall. All the recipients have already been chosen, but if you’re interested in applying for a home, you can find more information on their website.
Boomtown is KVUE's series covering the explosive growth in Central Texas. For more Boomtown stories, head to KVUE.com/Boomtown.