Tonight, Buffalo ReUse -- a local non-profit environmental organization -- is starting workshops aimed to help women become homeowners. Beginning tonight at 6PM at 158 Eaton Street, the group will hold workshops every Tuesday designed to prepare women for the IN-REM property auction in October.
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Caesandra Seawell, logistics coordinator for Buffalo ReUse, said it can be empowering for women to own their own home. "It's a very feminist thing to not wait until you're married to buy a house, but it can be intimidating to become a homeowner," she said. Seawell and Carrie Wilson, who will teach the workshops, have found, however, that many women are uncomfortable asking men for help or feel embarrassed asking a lot of questions. The workshops are designed to make women more at ease asking these questions, while providing them with the necessary information to attend the auction.
The IN-REM property auction sells abandoned homes in Buffalo, as well as homes that have people living there who haven't paid their property taxes for an extended period of time. Seawell said in many cases, however, the residents don't live in the homes or even in Buffalo anymore, so the property means little to them, allowing it to be sold to a new person. Among other things, the workshops will cover how to register for the auction, what happens after the auction, financing the purchase, what research to do ahead of tim, and bidding approaches.
Seawell said Buffalo ReUse hoped to encourage homeownership through these workshops, which would in turn build communities. "It's kind of an ironic twist that we're a demolition company, who wants to keep people in their home," she continued. Buffalo ReUse specializes in green demolition that salvages materials from the site.
Tonight's meeting will set refined goals for the rest of the sessions based on the specific needs of those in attendance. Men will be permitted to attend workshops later in the summer, but for now the sessions will focus exclusively on women's unique questions or problems. For more information on the sessions or Buffalo ReUse, call them at 716.885.4131.
(Top photo by: Kathleen Kovach)
I usually don't care about things like this, but the premise of this article and workshop are sexist in nature. I am sure that it is just as empowering for a man, or any other person, to purchase a house. Why do we always have to focus on women as though they are incapable of helping themselves without the support and guidance of others.