March 9th
Thursday morning, we helped with the finishing touches of a house that is going to be dedicated March 10, 2019. This will be a celebration before the homeowner moves in. Thursday afternoon, we spent our time digging and clearing the area around pipework and electrical work on a different house. It was great to see how teamwork with effective communication allowed for faster progression of the exterior housework.
This teamwork and effective communication helped us with the demolition of another house on Friday. The delegation of tasks allowed us to smoothly start the process of tearing down the house. The process was done manually without any heavy machinery. It was interesting to see how this method, using hand tools and manual labor, reduces the cost of construction and therefore makes the house more affordable for the future home owner. Connecting the work we did on site with the knowledge gained from the panel has allowed for us to better understand the idea of affordable housing.
Reflecting on our experience as a group, we understand that the charity work that Habitat for Humanity does is one of the ways to combat the housing crisis. However, that left us with more questions about the social justice work that can be done to further combat the crisis. Looking forward, as group and individually, we hope to actively reflect on the issues of affordable housing in general and specifically in our Portland community.
Saron Mekonnen and Giovanna Gutierrez