(2014-01) Summary of Findings in Long-Term Assessment of the Haitian Government's 16/6 Housing Plan for Earthquake Victims

Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) • 2014 • 2 pages

Summary — IJDH and BAI survey summary finding that the 16/6 rental subsidy program moved earthquake victims out of camps in the short term but left most recipients worse off than before the earthquake once the one-year aid ran out.

View Document View Original Source

Key Findings

The 16/6 cash rental subsidy program succeeded in the short term at moving families out of IDP camps, with 73 percent feeling safer and about two-thirds reporting better living conditions than in the camps. After the one-year subsidy ran out for 92 percent of respondents, the plan's rated success fell from 61 percent in 2012 to 45 percent in 2013. In 2013, 57 percent reported worse housing than before the earthquake, 80 percent said their overall living situation was worse than pre-earthquake, 56 percent named housing as their most pressing need, and 61 percent of those still in program housing had been unable to pay rent. Food insecurity persisted, with 68 percent reporting at least one family member going a day or more without food.

Full Description

This two-page briefing summarizes a long-term survey by IJDH and BAI, with students from the Haiti Education & Leadership Program and Fordham Law School, of the Haitian government's 16/6 housing plan for victims of the January 12, 2010 earthquake. The plan, implemented by IOM and funded by the Haiti Reconstruction Fund with USAID support, provided up to 500 dollars in rental assistance for one year. Researchers interviewed 150 families from six camps in 2010, re-interviewed 75 in 2012 and 44 in 2013. Short-term results were positive: 73 percent felt safer in their new homes and about two-thirds reported better living conditions than in the camps. But after subsidies expired for 92 percent of respondents, the rated success of the plan fell from 61 percent to 45 percent, 57 percent reported worse housing than before the earthquake, 80 percent said their overall living situation was worse than pre-earthquake, and 61 percent of those still in program housing could not pay rent. The brief urges a long-term, sustainable housing strategy combining affordable housing with employment support.

Topics

Geography

Time Coverage

2010 — 2013

Keywords

housing, 16/6 plan, earthquake, IDP camps, rental subsidies, displacement, reconstruction, survey, IOM, food insecurity

Entities

Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI), Haiti Education & Leadership Program (HELP), Fordham Law School, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Haiti Reconstruction Fund, USAID, Michel Martelly

Notes

IJDH and BAI survey fact sheet, English original January 2014 (catalog title in French); ayitistats wave B