Back To Building: Habitat For Humanity Returns To Projects After Furloughs

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — After being furloughed for weeks because of the pandemic, Habitat for Humanity is back to building homes.

Volunteers are working on several sites around the Sacramento region, including one of the group's biggest projects to date.

On Thursday, volunteers picked up their hardhats and hammers to help rehab what was once a illegal cannabis grow house. The all-electric home is set to be completed in four months and will go to a deserving single mother of two.

"When she was accepted into the Habitat program she was actually working two full-time jobs and she's putting 500 hours into what we call sweat equity," director Laine Himmelmann said.

The South Sacramento property is one of several builds across the city. The Habitat team is finally back as one unit after 90% of the staff was furloughed due to the pandemic.

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"It was definitely a really challenging time back in March it was gut-wrenching. But our CEO was like, we are going to push through, we are not going to give up, we are going to bring our people back, now more than ever," Himmelmann said.

Volunteers are working hard in South Sacramento for families in need, while across town, infrastructure has started on Habitat's second-biggest build in history. The historic 13-home development on the corner of Mandola Court and 50th Ave. will soon be the home to 60 low-income individuals and an estimated 40 children.

Leah Miller, president of Habitat for Humanity Greater Sacramento, said they are building a variety of homes including single-story, two-story, three, four and five-bedroom homes.

"In providing a safe place for a family and live, a family to grow and thrive helps to break the cycle of poverty and provide that platform and springboard to a new and better future for that family," Miller said.