Spokane's 25th Annual Blitz Build Kicks Off June 3

When hundreds of volunteers gather at 228 S. Carnahan Road on June 3, they'll be doing more than swinging hammers. They'll be proving that affordable homeownership is still possible when a community decides to build it together.

Habitat for Humanity-Spokane's 25th annual Blitz Build brings the entire community onto one construction site for two weeks of focused building. Presented by Bank of America, the event compresses what normally takes months into an intensive sprint where volunteers, future homeowners, businesses, and local leaders work side by side.

This year's build sits on land donated by the City of Spokane Valley. Additional support comes from the Washington State Department of Commerce through the Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program and Housing Trust Fund, creating a powerful blend of public, private, and community resources.

The homes being built aren't just affordable today. They're permanently affordable, meaning families earning below 80% of the area median income can actually qualify to buy them.

"Blitz Build shows what it takes to create affordable homeownership in today's market," said Michelle Girardot, CEO of Habitat for Humanity-Spokane. While Habitat builds year-round, this concentrated effort makes the solution visible and brings costs down through volunteer power.

The Ripple Effect

The beauty of Blitz Build goes beyond the homes themselves. It creates a blueprint other communities can follow, showing exactly how layered partnerships between government, business, and volunteers can tackle housing affordability.

Every volunteer hour reduces construction costs, making homeownership accessible to families who work essential jobs but struggle to find housing they can afford. Over 25 years, this model has proven that the housing crisis isn't unsolvable when people choose to solve it together.

The two-week timeline also creates momentum and visibility that inspires more people to get involved. What starts as curiosity often turns into regular volunteering, creating a growing network of people committed to building solutions.

Anyone in Spokane County can join the effort, whether they have construction experience or not. The event welcomes all skill levels and provides training, turning neighbors into builders and strangers into teammates working toward the same goal.

Twenty-five years of Blitz Builds means 25 years of proving that community action works.