5. WHEN PEOPLE ARE GIVEN THE CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE THEY CAN’T REACH AGREEMENT ON ANYTHING AND YOU CAN’T MAKE ANY PROGRESS. DOES COMMUNITY-DRIVEN HOUSING REALLY WORK?

Community-driven housing works but these processes need to be skillfully and patiently supported. Capacity needs to be built for collective decision making and consensus building in community processes. This requires the skill of an experienced development facilitator. Often officials do not make this investment and processes can get stuck. The problem is not community-driven housing but the official’s lack of ability to help steer the community toward a decision. Perhaps government needs to need to recruit staff with the appropriate skill set or to work with partners like DAG when they implement community-driven housing. There are countless examples that demonstrate that properly supported community-driven housing processes can succeed.