SANTO DOMINGO– Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic and its partners around the world launched a five-year campaign this May called “Home Equals,” which seeks to change local, national, and global policies so that those living in informal settlements can improve their access to adequate housing.
As part of the “Home is…” campaign, Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic is advocating for better living conditions and decent housing for Dominican families. According to United Nations data, more than one billion people worldwide live in slums and other informal settlements. At the national level, the United Nations estimates that approximately 11.2% of the Dominican population resides in informal settlements.
“Those living in informal settlements are playing an incredibly important role in finding housing solutions for themselves. The right policies can remove barriers, accelerate these efforts, and open the door to a better future for many more people who deserve the opportunity to live in a safe home,” said Cesarina Fabián, National Director of Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic.
In this country, the homes of these families are characterized by a lack of access to water, electricity, and sanitation; they are located on vulnerable land, most have dirt floors, the families do not have legal title to the land where their homes are situated, and they are generally built with poor-quality materials. As a result, these households are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Globally, Habitat for Humanity is calling on G7 member states meeting this week in Hiroshima, Japan, to recognize equitable access to housing as a fundamental lever for development and to commit to addressing housing needs in informal settlements as a way to advance international development priorities in areas such as economic growth, health, and education, according to a press release.
According to the report published in support of the “Home is…” campaign, the economic and human development gains associated with large-scale housing improvements in informal settlements would be substantial. The first report of its kind from Habitat for Humanity and its research partner, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), modeled the benefits—in terms of economic growth, income, health, and education—that would result from such housing improvements.
The report found that GDP and per capita income would increase by up to 10.5% in some countries and that approximately 730,000 more lives could be saved each year worldwide—more than the number of deaths that would be prevented annually by eradicating malaria. According to the model, up to 41.6 million more children would be enrolled in school. This represents one in six children who are currently out of school globally.
“This report adds to the evidence that ensuring that those living in informal settlements have access to adequate housing is not only the right thing to do, but also the smartest thing to do,” said Jonathan Reckford, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity International.
“Through the 'Home is…' campaign, we and our allies are committed to taking action so that, when it comes to the place we call home, the more than one billion people who live in informal settlements are truly treated equally.”.
Since the report's model could not generate projections for specific countries on its own, the researchers grouped the countries into four "typologies." Assuming that the impacts for the Dominican Republic reflect those of the country type to which it is most similar, improving housing in Dominican informal settlements would result in an increase of up to 6% in GDP and per capita income.
Life expectancy, meanwhile, would increase by up to 1%, while years of schooling would increase by up to 13%. Taken together, these factors could improve the Dominican Republic's Human Development Index (HDI).
While they were unable to quantify it, IIED researchers said the evidence is clear that environmental, political, and health systems improve in all societies when the housing of those residing in informal settlements improves, leading to progress both inside and outside those settlements.
