Organizations for Women & Girls

 
 
 

Hope Renovations

Hope Renovations builds futures and transforms lives with a dual mission:preparing underemployed women and gender expansive individuals for construction careers and helping older adults age in place.

Hope's roots go back to when I started doing my own home repairs - it started as a hobby and, like lots of hobbies, took on a life of its own. I loved getting my hands dirty and, as a woman who was never expected to have a knack for construction, something about doing it myself was particularly rewarding.  However, as I expanded my hobby and began working on small renovations alongside contractors and tradespeople I began to wonder... where were all the other women?

Fast forward ten years, when I decided to leave the corporate world to pursue a Master of Social Work from UNC.  While interning at a local homeless shelter, I met many women who were capable of working in the trades.  But when I would mention construction as a potential career path, the answer I often got was, "I'd love to, but nobody ever taught me how to do that stuff." The wheels started turning.

Finally, in my last semester of grad school I learned about the concept of Aging-in-Place, including many surprising statistics; like the fact that it's one of the fastest growing segments of the construction industry, but also one with the least capacity. In today's world, where big construction is booming (and small jobs take time and resources away from big ones), there simply aren't enough contractors to do the work.

So I figured it made a lot of sense to solve both problems at once.  Help women get the skills to enter into construction careers and get out of low-wage jobs, narrowing the gender equity gap in the process.  Give seniors a dedicated workforce to complete the repairs and renovations they need to stay in their homes. And, by doing so, develop a workforce that will help construction employers keep building, ultimately boosting our economy.  It was a win-win-win.

Nora El-Khouri Spencer, MSW
Founder and CEO, Hope Renovations

Quick List: Apprenticeships, Training & Employment