Habitat continues housing drive

ACCESS to safe, decent and affordable shelter continues to be one of the most serious challenges facing TT today. This situation is especially critical for the most vulnerable people around - low income families. It is further exacerbated by the effect of climate change with increasingly powerful storms, torrential rainfall with the resultant flooding and vector-borne diseases.

This is why the work of Habitat for Humanity (HH) has become even more relevant in the national and regional context. Director for HH, Derwin Howell, said that since the organisation began operations in 1997, its services have evolved and expanded not only to meet the needs of homeowners, but also to actively support the national drive.

Speaking on Wednesday at HH’s annual general meeting at the Arthur Lok Jack School Global School of Business, Mt Hope, Howell said adequate and affordable housing was a multiplier of community jobs and income, and was a prerequisite for inclusive, equitable, safe, resilient and sustainable cities.

He said while housing was their mission, it was not confined to the building and repair of houses. He said they were able to offer support activities to the national community to meet the shelter needs of many.

He said while the organisation can and do provide these services, its ability to do so depended in large part on its ability to attract supporters.

“Every one of us must recognise that we are all able to do something, for ourselves and others. And it is this second part, doing something for others, that helps to define the idea of teamwork, making us conscious of the goal that no one must be left behind.

“The Dalai Lama has said, ‘I believe that at every level of society - familial, tribal, national and international - the key to a happier and more successful world is the growth of compassion.’ This is a call to take small, yet significant actions in your life and to plant the seeds of compassion in your interactions.”

Howell invited citizens to be a supporter of its membership programme. Through the programme, HH aimed to spread the knowledge that everyone has something that can be given - ideas, skills, material or money.

“No gift is too small, and certainly, none too large. By recruiting supporters and volunteers from among friends, family and other associates, together we can make inadequate housing a thing of the past in our beloved country.”

This year, the board in its triennial strategic review, engaged in some organisational visioning with several themes emerging including enhanced fundraising, organisation structure and design, securing land tenure, operational funding, branding and awareness and delinquency management.

Habitat for Humanity TT is a part of a global organisation with accountability to its Latin and Caribbean (LAC) office.