Through its Facility Improvement program, Habitat Japan addresses challenges at facilities such as children’s homes and single mother shelters. As part of this initiative, the renovation of the first- and second-floor restrooms at Yokohama Kunmouin - a residential facility in Yokohama for children with visual impairments and other physical or developmental disabilities - was completed on March 4, thanks to the support of Bloomberg and Sangetsu Corporation.

About the Yokohama Kunmouin renovation

Yokohama Kunmouin, which houses and cares for approximately 40 children with physical, intellectual, and mental disabilities (including developmental disabilities), is a 60-year-old building suffering from severe deterioration. Since 2021, Habitat has been undertaking renovations of living spaces such as bedrooms and washrooms to address the facility’s urgent needs. However, the institution has also been consulting with Habitat for several years regarding the repair of its restroom facilities.

While planning the toilet renovations, interviews with facility staff revealed the following key challenges:

  • Strong odors caused by deteriorating plumbing were spreading into the adjacent living rooms
  • The current toilet entrance door is a heavy hinged door, making it difficult for children with disabilities to open
  • Some toilets on the 3rd and 4th floors are not private, compromising privacy
  • The stalls are narrow, leaving no space for assistance. Additionally, larger children cannot close the door because their legs hit it

These issues are serious and directly impact the children’s quality of life. Therefore, Habitat launched a restroom renovation project aimed at creating a space that is easy to use even for children who require assistance.

New Restroom Design and Renovation Details

A complete renovation of the restrooms would require large-scale construction work, including replacing the plumbing, which would significantly increase costs. With support from Habitat’s corporate partners, who understood the current state of the facility, we decided to first renovate the first and second floors of the four-story building, where the odor was particularly severe.

Sangetsu Corporation not only contributed financial support but also donated flooring materials and provided design expertise - visiting the site to understand staff needs, proposing color schemes for doors, floors, and walls, and supplying cushion flooring to enhance safety by reducing injuries from falls.

Voices from Children and Staff

After the renovation of the first and second-floor restrooms was completed, the children expressed their excitement, saying things like “It’s beautiful!” and “I love it!” Their reactions clearly showed how much the improved space meant to them. We also received message cards from the children and staff, filled with warm, heartfelt messages of appreciation.

Habitat will now proceed with renovating the restrooms on the third and fourth floors, aiming to ensure that all restrooms are safe and user-friendly as soon as possible. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the corporate partners who provided support for this project, and we ask for your continued support and cooperation so that we can provide an environment where the children can live safely and comfortably.