Community Driven Housing

Demonstration
We conduct research to generate evidence to support DAG and its partners advocacy work to create an enabling policy environment to access well-located lan for marginalised citizens.

	Khayelitsha People's Housing Process Project
	DAG will be working over the next three years in partnership with the Western Cape Department of Local Government and Housing (DLG&H), to establish and operate area-based support centres which will help facilitate the completion of 2371 subsidised houses, while promoting job creation and local economic development. The households were identified by the Western Cape DLG&H from ten self-help projects that they had previously blocked due to the mismanagement of funds by suppliers and/or community leaders. DAG has since been brought on board in a partnership to ensure that the projects can be concluded. Households will be supported to access housing with options of either building their own homes, engaging and supervising contractors or simply playing a decision making role in the delivery process. The project beneficiaries will to be assisted to make independent and informed choices about the extent of their household’s involvement in the process and how their subsidies will be spent. Through implementing this project in partnership with the Department of Local Government and Housing, DAG aims to pilot a new approach to PHP delivery and develop a replicable model of good practice. This will include improved support and monitoring and evaluation systems, which informs a longer-term approach to supporting PHP in the Western Cape Province and nationally. DAG’s work in the Khayelitsha People’s Housing Process Project aims to: Provide support to build capacity and transfer knowledge to the community, ensuring that beneficiaries and their representatives understand the People’s Housing Process and know their rights and obligations in the process; Provide technical support, co-ordinate and oversee the construction of 2371 houses including sourcing materials (exploring on-site production where possible), negotiating prices and accrediting and monitoring the quality of work of local builders; Facilitate the establishment and running of the Housing Support Centres, including developing an operating framework and training and deployment of staff; Source and co-ordinate the training of Khayelitsha residents in construction-related trades and administration and source funding for, and facilitate implementation of, job creation components of the project; Promote savings groups to augment subsidies and support residents to improve the standards of their homes. For more information on the Khayelitsha Project contact: Zama Mgwatu: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it



	Previous Community-Driven Housing Projects
	Marconi Beam There are many bottlenecks that impede the delivery of housing to the poor in South Africa. These include lack of government owned land, failure of innovative financial models, NIMBY-ism of established neighbourhoods and breakdown of community participation. However, one of DAG’s early housing project, from the 1990’s, stands as an impressive model of low-income housing development – Joe Slovo Park. The residents of Joe Slovo managed to address many of these challenges. The groomsman of Milnerton Race Course, with their families, successfully fought the trend of moving poor settlements to the outskirts of Cape Town, thereby securing prime land and good quality housing. Freedom Park The Freedom Park Case Study is a model of good practice in community centred development. Poor families participated actively in designing their settlement, from participatory site layout and design to infrastructure development and construction. The Freedom Park community consistently demonstrated their ability to work together and remain resolute in achieving their goal of dignified housing. They have set an example for other communities leading PHP housing projects. This case study offers rich insight and lessons to practitioners, officials and community groups alike. Netreg The Netreg Case Study celebrates a community that has transformed their community not only physically by developing housing and accessing services, but also socially and economically; creating a space which enhanced the livelihood possibilities of the community. This project demonstrates that within all low-income housing projects is the capacity to not only remake the physical environment of the city, but, to remake the citizenry as well. Click here to download all three case studies of executive summaries