Do you know just how much power your dollar holds?
It is the engine which keeps us going – and grants us the capability to be even better. Your financial support goes beyond funding the tangible, material items you see in a Project HomeWorks session. It helps us bring real and sustainable value to ALL our stakeholders – homeowners, volunteers, and donors. Read on to find out how.
Transforming Homes, Transforming Lives
Homeowners are at the forefront of all the work we do. We at Habitat Singapore believe that behind every home in a state of disarray is an actual human life deserving to be understood, heard, and shown compassion.
To tell the truth, oftentimes housing is not the only issue experienced by our homeowners. Many of them actually face a great deal of challenges on multiple fronts, and these are so intertwined with each other that we cannot expect to increase their motivation, or change their behaviour towards improving their housing situation in isolation from the other issues.
For example, we recently met Mr S, who suffers from depression. Alongside working with Habitat Singapore to rehabilitate his home which was incredibly cluttered with barely any space to walk, he was also receiving medical treatment for his mental health at the same time as we encouraged him to take steps to improve his home condition. If our sole method was through encouragement alone, it would be very unlikely that we could motivate him to jump into action to clean up his home.
So each case does indeed take a massive amount of work, because:
We take time to understand the big picture of each homeowner’s life.
We partner with different social service agencies to resolve multiple areas of need together.
Our housing interventions are adapted to the needs of each unique homeowner.
Sometimes however, it’s easier to fall into an “efficiency” mindset and be driven purely by the immediate activity at hand, sidelining the homeowners’ feelings for their “own good” and to get the job done. But that robs them of their dignity, and in the long run, such a stab to their self-esteem might prove detrimental in bringing sustainable change to their life.
In Project HomeWorks, we are committed to lift our homeowners up without putting them down, striking the balance between honouring their decision but also kindly showing them that their way of living is detrimental.
We’ve picked up many precious lessons, and we are continually adapting, learning and re-learning to ensure that our homeowners are comfortable every step of the way. When you donate to us, you can be sure that your dollar empowers and supports uplifting housing solutions which bring renewed hope for our homeowners.
This is alongside our ability to identify problem areas and operationalize efficient work processes to get the home ready quickly. We also have strong working partnerships with other social service organisations, social workers, and medical workers to ensure our homeowners receive holistic, long-term, sustainable support which doesn’t end at a home transformation.
On a macro-level, Project HomeWorks seeks to make an impact on all our stakeholders: the community, social service sector and general society. We are continually looking at how to reach more and do more. Your dollar helps us go the long way too.
A seamless volunteering experience with real, sustainable impact
A lot of behind-the-scenes work is done to ensure that when a volunteer partners with us, they have a seamless experience which makes real, sustainable impact. Your dollar helps us cover the manpower cost required for such important, hidden work.
On session day, volunteers need only show up and be ready to get down and dirty! Our staff will pre-assign homes, prepare the necessary logistics for the session and make sure that volunteers are well taken care of and carefully guided by either experienced staff or volunteer leaders.
And it’s not just ensuring that session day itself goes smoothly and safely. The pre-session work is equally, if not more, taxing. Our dedicated staff process referrals to make sure that those who need support most urgently receive it timely. Considering that we receive multiple referrals each month with each house needing at least 2 sessions, this is no easy feat especially considering the ever-changing Covid-19 restrictions.
Then comes the liaison with social workers and vendors, and the conducting of home assessments, in addition to the miscellaneous administrative and coordination work required. Our staff carries the load of the hidden work which ensures our sessions are successful, and your dollar keeps them going.
The work doesn’t end when a session ends too. Our staff continues to work with social workers post-session to ensure that the help rendered is long-term. As such, when volunteers partner with us, they can be sure that their efforts aren’t just “for-show”, but in fact contributes to real, sustainable impact. Your dollar keeps this cycle of sustainability going.
Your dollar is our responsibility
Lastly, to our donors, we are so thankful that you have entrusted us with your dollar and we understand our responsibility to steward the resources well. We are audited on the local, regional and international levels to ensure a high level of accountability on our part.
The Habitat team is committed to making sure that your dollar stretches the long way in making a real, uplifting impact on our homeowners. So, when you donate, you can have peace of mind about your dollar being put to good work.
We invite you to make an impactful, sustainable difference in the life of a vulnerable homeowner. Make a donation today at habitat.give.asia