Holistically Healthy Housing in Oakland County
Hi, we’re Natalie and Brooke, two master’s students at the University of Michigan. Natalie is studying Architecture with a concentration in Design + Health, and Brooke is studying Environmental Justice and Urban and Regional Planning. We met in January of 2023 during the Dow Sustainability Fellowship Orientation. We sat at the same table and soon discovered shared passions for the justice and welfare of individuals and communities. Throughout 2023, we worked alongside two other graduate students and Habitat for Humanity International to create a Healthy Housing Map and Healthy Housing Building Strategies Booklet to help Habitat for Humanity affiliates identify ways to make homes in their area healthier. When we heard about the Michigan Health Equity Challenge, we thought it would be a great opportunity to work with a local Habitat for Humanity affiliate here in Southeastern Michigan to implement the strategies we had put together over the past year. We are excited to announce our proposal of Holistically Healthy Housing in Oakland County, MI.
To identify a local Habitat affiliate to work with, we asked our colleagues at Habitat for Humanity International for recommendations. They connected us with Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County (Habitat Oakland). Habitat Oakland responded right away and we had an energetic virtual brainstorming session to discuss how the resources we developed last year and this additional grant could expand their home repair programming. All of the staff at Habitat Oakland are extremely passionate about creating and maintaining affordable housing in Oakland County and they have been amazing to work with. To help us finalize our ideas and make sure they were feasible, we were invited to come to their office and accompany a Project Manager during a home assessment.
We have been fortunate to have continued support from our mentor, Dr. Andrew Ibrahim since beginning our journey nearly a year ago. As someone who spans both the realm of health and architecture, with an extensive background in research, he offered critical perspectives that shaped both the overarching vision and nuanced details of our proposal. A particularly impactful moment was when Dr. Ibrahim introduced us to the practice of implementation science. This new perspective offered a critical lens to our recommended approaches to mitigate the effects of housing inequality and environmental injustices on community members. It provided us with a framework to link our vision to the intended impact through a series of actionable and attainable strategies. Furthermore, Dr. Ibrahim has been an incredible cheerleader throughout the entire process; his faith and enthusiasm in both the mission and our abilities have been an essential part of our success.
This project would not have been possible without the enthusiastic support of Habitat Oakland staff and Dr. Ibrahim. We would also like to acknowledge and express immense gratitude to Colleen Loveless and Rita Longe from Revitalize CDC and Kevin Chan and Ashley Zuverink from Green & Healthy Homes Initiative who generously shared their time and expertise with us. The insights gained from these dialogues allowed us to consider potential challenges and borrow processes that have been proven to work. This knowledge exchange expedited our proposed objective of helping homeowners and instilled confidence in the intended impact. The value of collaboration and knowledge sharing cannot be overstated, as we found these conversations to be extremely encouraging and fruitful in shaping our proposal.
The Michigan Health Equity Challenge has provided an incredible opportunity to collaborate with like-minded leaders committed to improving health outcomes within our community. It has been inspiring and motivating to follow the development of all projects involved in this challenge and to learn more about the existing health equity gaps that we may have not been exposed to otherwise. The support we have received from Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County, our mentor Dr. Ibrihim, Molina Cares, and the Michigan Health Equity Challenge Team has been a cherished aspect of our experience.
Throughout this Challenge, we have grown as individuals, with newfound skill sets and an eagerness to find new opportunities and strategies to improve housing and health equity. Working on projects like the Michigan Health Equity Challenge has emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary work and has reminded us that no matter what your skills or knowledge may be, they can be used to effect change right in your own backyard. It has been a pleasure collaborating with new individuals, fostering previous partnerships, and overall nourishing our ecosystems of passionate individuals committed to making our world a better, healthier place to live.
