 And welcome to Connecting Hawaii Business on Think Tech Hawaii. My name is Kathleen Lee, owner of Kathleen Lee Consulting, and I am your host for this program. Think Tech Hawaii is currently live streamed on ThinkTechHawaii.com, as well as on Think Tech Hawaii's Facebook and YouTube channel. And for viewers out there who are watching us live, you may email us questions to questions at ThinkTechHawaii.com. Today's show is an exciting one. We are going to talk about Honolulu Habitat for Humanity and what he has built. And joining us today is Brie Littlefield, the director of philanthropy for Honolulu Habitat for Humanity. Brie, welcome to the show. Thank you, Kathleen. Great to be here. Of course. So tell our viewers a little bit about yourself before we launch into the organization and the program. Thank you. So as you mentioned, I'm the current director of philanthropy here at Honolulu Habitat for Humanity. I have been in nonprofit development for my entire career. I started with a national nonprofit health agency about 11 years ago and just discovered a passion for rallying support from our communities to get behind important missions and causes that directly impact people who share this space with us. In my role, I oversee Habitat's volunteer program, outreach, donor stewardship, partnerships and sponsorships. So true to form, it is a nonprofit role with many hats and it is probably one of the things I like most about what I do is all the different hats to wear. I think that's awesome. And I kind of want to launch into the whole like hats and hard hats because we are going to talk about that. But before we do, could you describe Honolulu Habitat for Humanity in more detail? Yeah, absolutely. So we are a nonprofit affordable housing developer serving the communities of Oahu. We are a locally owned and operated independent affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. So Habitat is actively working across the globe to eliminate poverty housing. Here in Hawaii, we have several sister affiliates on Big Island, Hawaii, the Leeward Coast here on Oahu. And we really work in partnership with low-income families to achieve the dream of home ownership. I think that is absolutely wonderful and much needed, especially in our community. So let's pull up the first video before you describe what Wahine Build is. Wahine Build is Habitat's newest initiative to unite, educate and empower women in support of affordable housing on Oahu. Hey, that looks like a fun scene that's going on there. Rhi, tell us about Wahine Build. Yeah, great. So I think maybe to start, I should go back. In January of 2022, earlier this year, Habitat launched a five-year strategic plan to increase our impact, increase the number of homes that we are building, broaden our reach and increase our depth to work with more people in more communities to build homes and to serve more families. As part of that plan, we are called to engage 10,000 volunteers over the next five years in our work. Now, if you know anything about Habitat, you know that volunteers are the heart and soul of everything that we do. Volunteers come out to the Build site, they work shoulder to shoulder with our homeowners and they raise walls and construct homes that will later be purchased and owned by our homeowners. So without these volunteers, we could not do the work that we do. It takes between 300 and 400 volunteers to build every home that we construct. So they're a really huge part of what we do. This challenge to work with 10,000 volunteers over the next five years really called us to say, well, what is our current volunteer base and where can we grow volunteers? And I thought it was really interesting that women tend to be disproportionately underrepresented on Habitat-filled sites. And that's not just here on a lot, but that's globally. So while women maybe make up 60% of Habitat's volunteer force overall, helping in the office, serving on committees and boards, working at Restore, they only account for about 30% of construction site volunteers. And so when we see women not showing up in a space, we have a responsibility to ask ourselves, well, why not? Why is it that women don't feel comfortable or empowered to walk onto a built site, fire up a nail gun, and help build a home? So what he named build is kind of our response to observing that gap, that gender gap, and in seeking opportunities to educate, inspire, empower, train women to help on these construction sites. And so that's really what he named build started as. The attempt to bring women out there show them that we have the training and the tools and the equipment that they need to learn new skills and make a difference in their community. So when, when what he and I built first started in 2016, it was a one day event. We had eight to 10 women come out to the build site. We held that one day event in March during women in construction week. And it was really just kind of a, you know, token style event. And this year, we really reflected and thought to ourselves, we can be doing more and we need to be doing more. So we expanded the program for the first time this past March and are very excited at what we've created. That is wonderful. So let's pull up the second video, which is slightly longer. So people have a better idea of what the program and the women who have volunteered for it have built. It's really great this year that serve because the presenting sponsor of what he did build. I was so excited as an employee when I heard about them wanting to sponsor just because it's such an important mission out here, building homes for the local community and their families in Waimanalo. Didn't know it was this much of a hard work. Learn how to put in a window today. Learn how to hammer nails straight, take them out. A lot of hard work. Just being able to help other people is a great thing. Great honor. It is super important for us to get involved in the community. Specifically with female initiatives, it's great to empower us women, working women to rise up and get involved in these male-dominated industries. It can be a little intimidating at times. So hammering a nail and then putting up a frame is really makes us bring out our little masculine, strong woman side. That seems like it was a great piece to have been created during that time. And I'm glad that everyone seemed really excited when they were talking about the project. We go into the volunteers more. You mentioned that each house takes about two to three hundred volunteers. Does that sound about right? Yeah, it can be between three and five hundred, but on average it's right around four. So the homes that Habitat builds are our owner-built homes, which means that while we have a professional construction site supervisor that oversees the project, we really rely on volunteers to come out and spend their day building with us. The volunteers allow us to construct homes up to 40% below market rate, which makes home ownership affordable for families who might not be able to afford a traditional contractor or a traditional blending. So they're really important to what we do, and we work very hard to make sure that anyone, people from all walks of life, feel welcome and empowered to come out and build with us, regardless of experience. We provide all of the tools and training that our volunteers need to be successful to work safely. We provide instruction for the power tools, for the hand tool, which is really a great opportunity for anyone who's interested in no pun intended, but adding something to their tool belt to come out and be able to be a part of. So we, on average, work with about 1,000 to 1,200 volunteers each year. And as I mentioned, we're looking to increase that to about 2,000 volunteers globally. Wow. Are there are there restrictions when it comes to recruitment of volunteers? Does someone have to be a certain age? And because this is a program that is focused on hiring, you know, hiring women or having women volunteers, is it only women volunteers that are allowed in Wahina Build? Yeah, great question. So well, first of all, you know, we build year round. It's every Friday and Saturday. We currently have four active projects across the across the island. So the need for volunteers is always there. And as a rule of thumb, you have to be 16 years or older to volunteer on a built site. And men and women, of course, are welcome to volunteer. But looking at what he made built specifically, you know, it's not about excluding men. It is about including women and creating a space where they feel comfortable enough to step out of their comfort zone, willing to learn something new or make mistakes. I'll tell you, it's, you know, in my first few months at Habitat, I began to notice a trend when speaking to volunteers. And I get questions all the time about what's it like to volunteer? What should I expect? And I started to realize that when speaking to women who had never volunteered before, there was a hesitation. There was a sense of cautionary resistance. You know, what if I'm the only one there that doesn't know what she's doing? Or what if I make a mistake and I ruin the house? And so that was kind of an early indicator to me that we need to create a space that is, you know, women uplifting women and really just allowing them to explore this new territory or this new skill that they can do so with confidence. And have fun while they're doing it quite frankly. That is great. We have about a minute before we go on break. Could you briefly tell us how these individuals, these volunteers are recruited to help out with building these homes? Absolutely. So we have an open build calendar on our website that anyone can go to at any time to see what projects are active and where we need help for what he and I build. As you saw in that earlier video, you know, Servco was one of our presenting was our presenting sponsor. We had sponsorships also from Hensel Belts from the Swinerton Foundation. And so those sponsors were allowed a build day to bring out their team and build the home. And then the other half of the dates that we were building were open build volunteers, which means that women essentially submitted an application and we did a raffle style drawing. We knew we were going to have more people that wanted to build and space for them. The only way to make it fair was to make it random. And I think that we're going to have an even bigger interest next year, so we're figuring out how to handle that. I think that's great. And it's good to have that much interest to address a need for our community, which is more affordable housing. So we will launch into that when we return, but we are going to go on break. So we'll be right back. Active Connecting Hawaii Business on Think Tech, Hawaii. Today we have Brie Littlefield, Director of Philanthropy for Honolulu Habitat for Humanity. And she is going over what he and Bill, this great program that encourages women to build or get into the construction industry, build houses for families all across Oahu. Is that right? We are currently focused on Oahu as far as the houses go. That's correct. Yes. OK, so who do as far as these homes, who do they serve? Like, once the homes are built, who ends up living in them? Absolutely. So we partner again with low to moderate income families who fall within the 40 to 80 percent AMI for the county of Honolulu. So really, these are our families that fall into the financial designation of Alice. They are asset limited, income constrained, but employed. In order to partner with Habitat to build a home, you have to meet a few qualifying factors. You need to be able to repay and afford a mortgage, which we define as costing no more than 30 percent of your household income. You need to be willing to partner. So again, this is a hand up, not a handout. Our homeowners participate actively in the construction of their homes and the homes of their neighbors. And then the families also need to have a need for housing. And I think that that is one that a lot of people might get caught up on. Is it all I have a roof over my head? I don't have a need for housing. But what we see a lot of, especially here in Hawaii, is cost burdened housing. So if you are paying more than 30 percent of your income on mortgage or rent, that is considered a need for safe, affordable housing. If you are in an overcrowded unit, we see a lot of doubling up in the state to multiple generations, sharing a unit to save money and to be able to afford the roof over the head. And then during the pandemic, right, we saw those clusters, those outbreaks where you've got a dozen people sharing two or three bedroom home and it's impossible to safeguard yourself and to self isolate. And so I think that was a really great illustration of what some of these under recognized hazards are of housing condition. So those are the three a need for housing, a willingness to partner and an ability to repay a mortgage. And then here on Oahu, because land is so scarce, we also do require homeowners to either own land or have a long term land lease for the Department of Hawaiian homelands. And so we do work a lot with the native Hawaiian families, especially in the Waimanalo community. Oh, that is wonderful. It's great to learn about that. What is it only in the Waimanalo community that the houses are built? Or are they all over Oahu? Great question. They are not exclusively in Waimanalo. We have one project for wrapping up in Papapa Lea right now, so on Homestead land, but not in Waimanalo. And we've also been working with HHFDC in the city and coming of Honolulu to develop a new program where we can provide home ownership opportunities to family without access to land. What that looks like is, you know, identifying vacant parcels of land across the island, either dilapidated buildings or lots that are available and right for development. And then acquiring them from the city and county, working with a family and matching that family with a land opportunity. So we had our first pilot program for home offering, which is what we call that back in March of last year, and successfully secured a parcel in Hulimanu and have matched that parcel with a local family. Wow. Do you have the number of the homes that were built during this particular year, during March? So in the month of March, we worked on one single project. That home is slated to be completed at the end of next month. So it will be the fastest home we've ever constructed. I think is a testament to the power of women that, yes, you can build and look how fast you can do it. We plan on completing six homes this year. We actually have our first completed project that we are going to be previewing to the community next Thursday. I would call them a home preview, but it's kind of like an open house where our volunteers and partners and supporters can come out and see their support in action and see that finished product that we're working towards. That is so great to know. I mean, I know sometimes people will renovate a room and it'll take a long time. So for you to mention that it takes that, I don't want to say short, but, you know, a good amount of time that is quick enough to say, hey, we can we built a home. I think that is wonderful. What were the challenges? Sorry, I had to pause there because I was like, I have two questions in my head. What are some challenges that you identified during the program? I know one of them you mentioned earlier was volunteers thinking that they may not have had enough experience to start on this. But what are some other ones that you've seen or experienced or heard? Yeah, I think that, you know, one of the challenges, yes, is it's helping encourage women to take that leap of faith and sign up to do something that they have never done before. Another challenge was also knowing almost on the flip side of that coin is very early on we realized we're going to have more women who want to be a part of this than we can accommodate. That's why we introduced our skill building workshops in partnership with CityMail that were hosted on every Saturday at different CityMail locations across the island. And women were able to, you know, learn PowerTools 101 or how to patch drywall, the difference between grout and caulking, all construction related skills, but also skills that they can take back to their home and help, you know, maintain safe, healthy homes where they are. That's right. Let's see if we can play that workshop video. I know we were testing it earlier. So, Brie, tell us about what's going on in this scenario. Now, this was a really interesting workshop because CityMail actually called on their partners at Benjamin Moore and they had a Benjamin Moore expert come in to lead a paint like a pro workshop. Every workshop was designed to be very hands-on. So, you know, yes, there was some seminar style components for 15, 25 minutes. And then the women, you know, put on their gloves and got ready to work to apply the knowledge that they learned during the class. And that's really, I think, you know, what we see, the benefit of habitats build opportunities is that you get to work alongside professionals, learn how to do something and then practice it right away. I don't know about you, Kathleen, but for me, like I learned by doing and there is nothing that builds my confidence more than being able to practice something and stand back and say, oh, I guess I can do that. Yeah, I can absolutely relate to that. I have to be hands on as well. And on that note, let's pull up the first photo and so you can talk about the committee that, you know, spearheaded the project. So our Guahini built committee was the absolute life force behind the success we had in March. We mobilized more than 140 women, raised $80,000 for Habitat for Humanity. And it really is because I had this incredible team of women from different industries, many from the building industry who worked with me from October through the end of April to plan, execute, promote everything from developing a brand identity and a logo for a Guahini belt to issue press releases, coordinating lunch donations. I mean, you know, we're a humble and small team and Habitat. And without these women, they simply would not have been possible. You mentioned the logo. I know there was a lot of significance when it comes to the symbolism. Could you go over that briefly? Absolutely. So I would be amiss to not give a shout out to Jenna Saki, who is an employee at Nordic PCL Construction. She is a very talented graphic designer. When she heard about what he made, she volunteered her time and her talent to help us establish some kind of initiative identity for what he made. Build. So the logo itself is is a kind of a plumeria shape laid behind what looks like the eaves of a home. And then the writing itself on the work like he made was meant to be very reflective, you know, a little bit of feminine energy, but also, you know, a connectivity. The letters are connected to represent that when we come together as if I need to do something in partnership with one another, we are leaving a threat between all of us and creating a stronger network. So I really love what she created. I think it's absolutely stunning. And I love when one of the people commented on it. So thanks for picking that up. Yeah, it's awesome. I love symbolism, especially when it it it absolutely relates and is true to the project. Let's play or let's pull up the rest of the photos. And while we are doing that read, could you describe upcoming initiatives that Honolulu Habitat for Humanity may have? Absolutely. So we are in a heyday right now. We are, like I said, we launched that five year strategic plan in January and it feels like the volume has just been turned up on everything that we're doing. We, during the pandemic, focused on preparing ourselves for this moment. He knew that once the health crisis passed that the need for housing was going to be greater than it ever has been before. So we got to work, you know, in our own house, so to speak. We standardized our floor plans for all of our projects. We introduced a phased approach to construction, all with the intent of being able to come out of the pandemic stronger and able to hit the ground running. And that's where we are right now. As I mentioned, we have four projects that will be wrapping up in the next six weeks. We just had an open enrollment session last month for new homeowner applicants. So we've got a very long queue of families that have been approved to build with us and we're working on extending our critical home repair program to work with existing homeowners to increase the safety of their homes and help reduce housing vulnerability down the line. So as an operational program side of things, we've got a lot of work at hand right now. Of course, we're already getting ready for what he built 2023. We just had our hard hats and high heels event back in April at Cafe Julia, which is a new event for us. And we'll serve as a celebration of that strategic plan and we'll be an annual event where we get to come back together with our supporters and say, here's where we are. And when I say we, I don't mean we as an habitat staff. I mean, we as an every single person who swings a hammer, makes a donation, serves on a committee, shops at restore habitat is all about the week. We bring people together to build homes, community and hope. And that, I think, is really the hallmark of who we are and how we help our community. We have a couple of minutes left and I have a couple of questions for you. So what are some lessons that you've learned during this entire project, this process? Yeah, and I thought that I already have learned this lesson in my life, but not to the extent that I did spring, not to underestimate women and that there is nothing that we can't do when we all have our hearts and minds set on the same end goal. Like, I just can't believe how successful we were in this first year of the newly expanded program. And is there anything else that you would like to add that we have yet to mention in the last two minutes? Yeah, just a shameless plug call to action. We are currently working on building our Wahine built committee. You know, we're going to be bigger next year than we were this year. We need more women behind the scenes, helping make it happen. Volunteers in general, right, got 40 homes to build over the next five years. That's 10,000 volunteers. If you've never stepped foot on a habitat build site, this is your your sign from the universe to sign up to come out and see what it's all about. I promise we'll take care of you. I promise you'll have an incredible time. Wonderful. And let's pull up the website. Grief, people would like to get a hold of you or learn more about Honolulu Habitat for Humanity or Wahine build. Where can they go? So Honolulu Habitat dot org is our website. From there, you can navigate to learn more about what he may build. You can also go to what he may build dot org. That will send you right back to our website on the page that you're seeing on your screen now. I recommend that if you're curious about building with Wahine build or learning more about the committee to go ahead and send us an email, Wahine build at Honolulu Habitat dot org and to sign up for our newsletters, because that's where we'll be making announcements about registrations, sponsorship opportunities. And that's the best way to say touch. Thank you so much. Brie Littlefield, Director of Philanthropy for Honolulu Habitat for Humanity, for being on our show today to talk about what he may build. And thank you to Jay Fidel and the staff at Think Tech Hawa'i as well for making shows like this possible. Today, we had Haley and Michael helping us out. Until next time. Aloha. Thank you so much for watching Think Tech Hawa'i. If you like what we do, please like us and click the subscribe button on YouTube and the follow button on Vimeo. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and donate to us at ThinkTechHawaii.com. Mahalo.