Housing Development Fuels New Hope for Haitian Families

The Haut Damier housing settlement stands neat and orderly near Cabaret off Route National 1, a main highway on the west coast of Haiti, north of Port-au-Prince. The development’s 156 pastel-painted houses received their first residents in September. The families, many of whom lost houses as a result of the 2010 earthquake and who until recently lived in tents and other substandard housing conditions, now have permanent homes, with running water and flush toilets, for the first time since the disaster.

“We are so pleased. We have never had piped-in water in the house before,” said Albert Julien, a father of a family of six.

A beneficiary prepares to move her belongings into her new USAID-funded house near Cabaret, Haiti, in September 2013. Photo credit: USAID

The Haut Damier housing settlement, an $8.3 million housing and community development project, is one of several new settlements supported by USAID in partnership with the Government of Haiti and nongovernmental organization (NGO) partners to provide homeownership opportunities in proximity to employment and transportation hubs for earthquake-displaced families and other vulnerable households. Beneficiaries were chosen by the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), in collaboration with local municipal authorities. IFRC is also partnering with USAID to assist in the move-in of the beneficiaries and help them begin a new life in the community.

Another key partner on this housing development is the Government of Haiti’s Public Agency for Social Housing, which has a team dedicated to provide management and maintenance of the housing complex. USAID will help the agency strengthen its management and governance capabilities.

The Haut Damier homes have two rooms, a bathroom with a shower, and a kitchen, and are connected to electricity and sanitation facilities. The buildings are made from locally available materials which allow the residents to repair and expand their homes as needed. To ensure structural durability, the houses meet the International Building Code earthquake and hurricane safety standards. Of the 156 houses, 16 are built with access ramps to accommodate people with disabilities, while all of the houses meet accessibility standards that include wider doorways and bathrooms.

“This will be a big change for my family,” said Etienne Masita, a mother of five. “In the tent, the children get diseases and life is difficult.”

Masita has already joined a variety of community development activities in her neighborhood. She and other incoming residents have worked five days a week tending vegetables in the gardens surrounding the houses. The IFRC-sponsored gardening project enables residents to assume responsibility for their neighborhood.

USAID’s NGO partners United Methodist Committee on Relief and IFRC are jointly providing nearly $3 million of their own funding to support community and livelihoods development programs. These partnerships along with community engagement in developing and maintaining the Haut Damier housing site are essential for creating an enriching and sustainable living environment.

The beneficiaries will be given title to their home after paying a monthly fee of about $45 for five years. This fee will help cover site management and maintenance costs, ensuring sustainability.

The new settlement, where streets are lit by solar lights at night and where residents will play a role in its future development, will significantly improve the well-being and safety for many.

“I am so thankful to USAID. We will finally get out of the tents, where we suffered so much,” said Max Fils-Aime, one of the beneficiaries slated to soon move to his new home.

Since the earthquake, USAID has helped more than 328,000 people (more than 20 percent of those displaced by the quake) find shelter solutions. These include a range of solutions from transitional shelters, repairs to damaged houses, support to host families who took in displaced people, and rental vouchers.

Resources: