New life for tenement buildings

The charity is renovating a tenement at ul. Kazimierzowska 76 in cooperation with the housing cooperative within the building and AIG Lincoln. 

The official opening of the works took place on December 1. The tenants, mostly older people and those on lower incomes, were ready to help refurbish the building, which has not been redecorated since it was erected in the late 1950s out of demolition materials that were left after the war.

To date, Habitat for Humanity has focused on building new houses, but it has decided it could also meet its objectives through refurbishments.

"We don't give flats or homes like presents, but we try to provide families with conditions that will enable them to live in their own home," says Dorota Binkiewicz from Habitat for Humanity.

The refurbishment of ul. Kazimierzowska 76 has been a long time on the drawing board. Three years ago the residents of the building collected money and worked on the sewage and water system. Now the building needs heating, a new roof and new windows.

During winter, volunteers will work inside the building on the staircase and flats. When the weather improves in spring, work will begin to replace the windows and make a new facade. Weather permitting, the completion of works is scheduled for June 2006.

"In our project, part of the funds comes from sponsors and donors, and part from the so-called Fund for Humanity. This is money which comes from installments paid by people we have already helped," says Binkiewicz. "Whether further projects are realized or not depends mainly on the funds, but we want to continue the project not only in Warsaw but across the country."

Habitat for Humanity has already managed to find sponsors for the project. AIG/Lincoln Polska, an international development company, made an upfront donation, which will be used for this project and subsequent to that for every house the company sells it will donate zł.500 to be used for this project or any other. There are others firms involved, such as ICI and volunteers from Monar and Citibank.

"We were well aware of what Habitat for Humanity is doing and we were approached about participating," says Christopher Sweeney, the residential director of AIG/Lincoln Polska. "It was an immediate decision for us. We wanted to go for it right away. We're a housing company and that makes perfect sense to help the community in that way."

It is estimated that in Poland about 1.5 million residential buildings need immediate renovation.

Andrzej Wróbel