GHBA's Custom Builders Council steps up to help women in need

HOUSTON, Texas – The Custom Builders Council of the Greater Houston Builders Association stepped up to help a worthy cause that benefits homeless women.

On Aug. 16, a project team composed of 12 companies and led by Brandon Lynch, founder of Keechi Creek Builders, started renovating the multipurpose room at Santa Maria Hostel’s Jacquelyn House.

“As an organization, we are always in search of ways to give back,” Lynch said. “As fortunate as we are, we must remember the people who don’t have enough. We all voted that this was a good idea.”

Serving women in crisis for the past 50 years, Santa Maria Hostel offers substance abuse treatment programs, as well as mental health services.

The Hostel’s Jacquelyn House serves as a residence for homeless women who are recovering from drug addiction and alcoholism. In addition to acting as a gathering place for residents and their visitors, the 1,500-square-foot multipurpose room hosts Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings and provides space for group counseling sessions and community get-togethers.

The Custom Builders Council learned about the need for assistance from HomeAid Houston, a nonprofit arm of the GHBA, which works throughout the city building shelters for organizations that serve the homeless.

“HomeAid Houston does so many great things as an organization,” Lynch said, “it gets a lot of requests each year, but it can’t do all of them. So we’re helping them out.”

To become a more welcoming respite, the room will get a complete makeover. Plans call for new flooring, a fresh coat of paint, new cabinetry and countertops, additional windows and doors and new lighting, as well as two new rest rooms.

Underwritten by The Club at Falcon Point and Trendmaker Homes, the project was made possible through donations from the following: Bison, A Stock Building Supply Company; BMC Building Materials and Construction Services; Coastal Plumbing; Compass Drywall LLC; Dennis Williams& Company Inc.; Dal-Tile Corp.; The Detering Co. Building Materials; Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery; HomeAid Houston; MASCO/Merillat Cabinetry; Parmet, Chapman & Madsen PC; Sherwin-Williams Paint Co., and Texrite as well as many more individual donors. In-kind assistance for the project was received from the Houston Chronicle, On-Target Marketing & Advertising, Perfect Image and The Writer’s Block.

The members of the Custom Builders Council’s Santa Maria project team were eager to get to work doing their part to improve the lives of the residents of the Hostel, said Lynch, who added that the project will take a couple of weeks to complete.

The Custom Builders Council of the Greater Houston Builders Association also serves as a ready resource for individuals who are considering buying, building, or remodeling. The Council offers a valuable referral network of reputable custom builders who uphold the highest standards in the field.

Members also take continuing education courses and attend programs to stay on top of the latest trends in styles, building materials, home technologies and construction services.

To contact the Custom Builders Council call Donna Buenik at 281-664-1429 or visit ghba.org/custom-builders-council.html.