House to Home: Building with Habitat

Fourteen VAA employees volunteered to build a house in North Minneapolis with Habitat for Humanity (Habitat). With a range of construction skill levels, the team was divided into groups to work on various aspects of the four-bedroom home. Employees mainly contributed to the framing and construction of interior and exterior walls, stairs and front porch.

Mounir Najm, one of the VAA outreach event organizers, said these builds are valuable volunteer and educational opportunities. “It is gratifying to see the application of design in the field – obviously the positive impact on helping others, but participating in the process improves our drafting and designs in the future.”

Locally, Habitat helps low income families in the Twin Cities community through programs like Habitat Homebuilding, A Brush with Kindness and Family Support Services. The organization as a whole operates worldwide, dedicated to empowering families by helping them “acquire the access, skills and financial education necessary for them to be successful homeowners.” Learn more about the organizations work or volunteering on the Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity website.