More Spotlights Contact: Corporate Development Officer Sabrina Pourmand (650) 568-7337 spourmand@peninsula habitat.org Home Partnerships Spotlight MBA & WMIN Help Build Houses! Mortgage bankers from around the country worked on the Laquindanum family's home to underscore the need for affordable housing opportunities for American families. Volunteers built the frame of a Habitat house on Third Avenue in Daly City on Oct. 23, preceding the 91st Annual Mortgage Bankers Convention & Expo, Oct. 24-27. They were joined by Mayor of Daly City Sal Torres, Congressman Tom Lantos, California State Assemblymen Leland Y. Yee and Gene Mullin, Supervisor Elect Adrienne Tissier, and Regina Lowrie, president and CEO, Gateway Diversified Mortgage Services and vice-chairwomen, MBA spoke at an afternoon program. Each year, MBA sponsors the construction of a home in the host city of their annual convention. In recent years, the organization has held such volunteer events in San Diego, Boston and Toronto. In 1998, MBA entered into a national partnership with Habitat for Humanity International to address the issue of poverty housing in the United States. As a result, MBA has sponsored the construction of 56 Habitat houses throughout the US and Canada, representing almost $3 million dollars in financial contribution by the organization. Members of the Women Mortgage Industry Network worked on the Sam family house to raise public awareness of the difficulties single mothers experience when seeking to become homeowners. "Believing in a place called home is a key theme of our organization and we are excited to work with Habitat for Humanity to find solutions to the problem of quality and affordable homeownership for single-women and their children," said Tonya Jackson, chairwoman of the Women's Mortgage Industry Network. "We are especially proud to work alongside Ms. Sam as she not only builds her own home, but builds a strong foundation for the future of her family." The high cost of real estate throughout the United States has exacerbated the challenges single women experience when trying to purchase their own home, particularly first-time homebuyers. According to the San Mateo County Office of Housing, where the Habitat house is being built, the median price for a single-family home is $772,000, up 18 percent from the last year. A report by the Housing Leadership Council indicates that only 12-15 percent of households in San Mateo County can afford to buy a single-family home.