Sussex Habitat volunteers take part in Pride build

In recognition of Pride Month, Sussex County Habitat for Humanity recently hosted its first Pride build in Georgetown.

Lewis Dawley, Sussex Habitat board member, said he organized the event to highlight the organization’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. A group of 12 volunteers donated their time and energy to assist with yard work and getting a crawl space entrance framed and ready to access.

During a break for lunch, Katie Millard, director of development and advocacy, hosted an educational session discussing the need for affordable housing. She presented data that reflected the challenges and impact of a lack of affordable housing on the LGBTQ community, saying LGBTQ youth are 120 percent more likely than their heterosexual or cisgender peers to be homeless. Also, although 70.1% of non-LGBT adults own their own homes, that number is just under half (49.8%) for LGBT adults, according to a Williams Institute analysis.

For more information, go to sussexcountyhabitat.org.