Community June 24, 2010
YNHH sponsors Habitat for Humanity houses
Employees and their families can volunteer to work on the Habitat houses, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. No construction experience is necessary, as Habitat construction staff provides the necessary training.
“Building our first Habitat home was such a great experience last year that Yale-New Haven is committed to building two houses this year,” said Richard D’Aquila, executive vice president and COO, and a member of the Habitat for Humanity board of directors. “I can’t think of a better way for the hospital and its employees to give back to the neighborhood.”
Habitat builds and rehabilitates homes in the New Haven area to create safe, affordable houses that help revitalize neighborhoods. Two YNHH employees are about to move into a Habitat for Humanity home. Fred Smith works in Patient Transport and Lavenita Smith is a business associate in the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit. The Smiths, who have been married for 33 years, are first-time homeowners and proud of the skills they learned while working on their three-bedroom house.
“It’s hard work, but just takes a lot of determination and willingness,” said Fred. “If we can do it, anyone can do it.”
Members of the community, including YNHH employees, are encouraged to attend and learn about Habitat’s homeownership program and eligibility requirements. Pre-application materials will be available for families. The Habitat Homebuyers Program is for first-time homebuyers only.
