Walls are being raised for two new simple & affordable homes in Jucu de Sus, where today a team of 10 volunteers from the US and UK began their service in favor in low-income families from Cluj.
Led by Peter Sexton, an experienced leader with several previous trips to Cluj, volunteers come from both the US & the UK, and were eager to mark the first-ever Fuller Center build in Romania.
The team will work on homes no. 21 & 22 built in the Britta Sofia Community, alongside families currently in the selection process, as well as families who have already been selected for previous homes, but keep helping their future neighbors.
After working hours, the volunteers will have evenings packed with opportunities to discover the local community, including meetings with the Fuller Center’s Board of directors, and representatives of local NGOs working to support Ukrainians during the war.
Discovery is the central theme in the planned R&R activities, which include a guided tour of the Cluj-Napoca city center and a visit to the House of Religious Freedom, as well as a weekend trip to Maramureș for a ride on the historic „Mocănița” steam train and a visit to the Săpânța Merry Cemetery, UNESCO Heritage Site.
Why help build homes in Cluj?
Cluj is Romania’s most expensive real estate market, with prices of homes and even rent going through the roof for more than a decade. While major private investment has seen many new housing units being built, these are geared towards medium-to-high income groups.
For years, there has been a distinct lack of social housing projects, while the market increase in the prices of construction materials and overall inflation make affordable housing even harder to find. The most vulnerable families in the community are being left behind, and end up living in sub-standard conditions that include massive overcrowding or lack of basic amenities.