Building Hope: Habitat for Humanity

September 6, 2012 at 5:47 pm

What is our role as physicians in our community and in the global community? As a faculty we believe that social responsibility and accountability are core values for our students and physicians to practice for the well-being of all members of society.

As physicians, we take owning a home for granted,… but as we know, that is not the case for far too many Canadians.
Some 1.3 million Canadian households are in core housing need .That’s 3 million people – up 77% from 2002. An astonishing one in seven children lives in poverty in Canada.

In 2006, the United Nations reported that, “Canada is facing a national emergency on poverty, welfare, homelessness and housing.”

So what can we do? As Dean, I envision our faculty, staff and students joining forces to make a difference, to build a house for a Manitoba family in need through Habitat for Humanity. As the figures above -supplied by Habitat Humanity- show, there is clearly a gulf in our community when it comes to affordable housing.

Too many children and families cannot afford housing and we know this has a detrimental effect on their health, education and self-esteem.

We want all families to be able to live in a safe and secure home where their children will not just survive but thrive.

I am hoping we can build this kind of home right here on Bannatyne campus and then move it to its permanent location.

Habitat for Humanity has built more than 2,000 houses across Canada in over 200 locations. The Winnipeg chapter, launched in 1987, has built more than 200 homes locally.

We will require a large volunteer-base – alongside the house’s future residents who will contribute 500 hours of “sweat equity” to the build.

Construction experience is not necessary – just a willingness to learn and to contribute to bettering the lives of a family in need.

The mission of Habitat for Humanity is “to build affordable housing and promote homeownership as a means of empowering families and breaking the cycle of poverty”.

I’ll second that and hope you will too. Leading the charge in the Faculty of Medicine is Dr. Bruce Martin, Associate Dean, Students and Dr. Gerry Minuk, Professor/ Section Head, Hepatology, Internal Medicine.

Stay tuned for more information on how you can join our Faculty of Medicine Habitat for Humanity team.

What do you think of a Faculty of Medicine Habitat for Humanity build?