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

January 6, 2014 Summary of Findings in Long -Term Assessment of Haitian Government’s 16/6 H ousing Plan for Earthquake Victims A recent survey conducted by the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) and the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) indicates that victims of Haiti’s January 12, 2010 earthquake who received cash rental subsidies under the Haitian government’s 16/6 housing plan face another housing crisis as their aid money runs out. The survey also found that most aid recipients’ standard of living is worse now than before the earthquake. Methodology: With the help of students from the Haiti Education & Leadership Program (HELP) and Fordham Law School, IJDH and BAI conducted a long-term study of the sustainability and effectiveness of the 16/6 plan, which was implemented by the International Organization on Migration (IOM) and funded by the Haiti Reconstruction Fund (with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)). In October of 2010, 150 families were interviewed from six camps that were slated for relocation. IJDH and BAI followed up with participants to assess the plan and released the briefing paper, Haiti’s Housing Crisis: Results of a Household Survey on the Progress of President Michel Martelly’s 100-Day Plan to Close Six IDP Camp. In 2012, the team located and interviewed 75 of the original respondents three to six months after they had been relocated. In 2013, the team located interviewed 44 of the respondents 15-22 months after relocation. The 16/6 plan provided up to $500 in rental assistance for one year or home building materials, and in some cases, an additional $150 stipend. Survey results: Survey results found that in the short term, the cash rental assistance program succeeded in safely moving families out of IDP camps where they were living in unsafe and desperate conditions. • 81% of respondents surveyed in 2012 reported wanting to leave the camps. • Less than 1% of respondents had relocated to another camp. • 73% of respondents felt safer in their new home than in the camps. • About two- thirds reported better living conditions in 2012 and 2013 than in the camps. But, respondents’ approval rating of the plan fell after the one-year rental subsidy ended. • In 2012, 61% of respondents rated the plan a success (84% of those who chose to respond to the question rated the plan a success). • In 2013, after the aid had run out for 92% of respondents, the success rate fell to 45% (64% of those who chose to respond). Survey results indicate that these earthquake victims and their families have not been provided with a long-term solution to the housing crisis that has ensued after the earthquake, nor have they returned to 666 Dorchester Avenue | Boston, MA 02127 | (617)-652-0876 | http://ijdh.org their pre-earthquake standard of living. In fact, a shocking number of aid recipients’ standard of living was lower in housing available under the 16/6 plan than before the earthquake , and has worse ned since subsidies ended. • While living in housing available with 16/6 subsidies, 40% of respondents reported their current housing was worse than t heir housing before the earth quake (52% reported better housing). • In 2013, after subsidies expired, 57% reported worse housing than before the earthquake (25% reported better housing). • 56% in 2013 reported that their most pressing need was housing, up from just 9% in 2012. • 51% still live in the home to which they were relocated by the program. Out of those still living in the same home, 61% have not been able to pay rent. • 80% said in 2013 that their overall living situation was worse than pre- earthquake. Access to employment is tightly connected to the housing insecurity faced by many Haitians. • 38% had one or more family member with access to some form of work. • 43% subsisted on funds loaned or given by someone in or outside of Haiti. Earthquake victims are still struggling to survive, and for many, access to basic necessities like food, water, sanitation, and medical care is worse than before the earthquake. • 68% of respondents reported that at least one family member went one or more days without food (51% went multiple days). Of those that reported not eating, 63% reported that their children went without eating. These statistics slightly improved from 2011 (75% without food one of more days) and 2012 (71% without food one of more days). • 37% ate less well than when living in the camps. • 63% ate less well than before the earthquake. • Although 76% had daily access to clean and safe drinking water, 31% said access to clean water was worse than when in the camps. • 37% said access to clean water was worse than before the earthquake. • 70% of respondents said that someone in their family needed medical attention and 29% said that access to medical care was better in the camps. • Although 86% reported having access to a toilet, 44% said that their access to toilets was worse now than before the earthquake, and over half share with 11 or more people. Recommendations: “Follow-up more, and care more about the people. Give them something to rebuild a home and create j obs instead of just paying rent,” – young woman who responded to survey. BAI and IJDH urge the Haitian government to adopt a long-term and sustainable housing strategy for poor Haitians who are still displaced from the earthquake. Housing for earthquake victims remains dire, even for those who have been relocated by the government 16/6 plan. The plan must provide affordable housing in addition to providing support services to help Haitians find employment so that they can provide for their families’ basic necessities in the short and long term. A sustainable solution is one in which the government, and other services providers like the IOM and non- governmental organizations (NGOs) consult with displaced Haitians and empower them to create long lasting sustainable improvements in the area of housing and all other basic human needs. 666 Dorchester Avenue | Boston, MA 02127 | (617)-652-0876 | http://ijdh.org