Peoples Housing Process

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Therefore conclusively The People’s Housing Process supports households that want to increase their subsidies, this process allows them to create a housing support organisation that will provide organisational, technical and administrative assistance, including assistance of training and guidance on how to build a home. This option is available on a project basis to beneficiaries through consolidation, institutional and project-linked subsidies. It is also available in rural areas where people only have functional tenure rights to the land on which they live.

The People’s Housing Process allows one to save on labour costs by doing some of the building work themselves or by getting assistance from family, neighbours and others; avoid having to pay developers; and be in control of the decision-making process. The process allows the beneficiary to use a subsidy to build his own house (Ranson, 2005). Everyone participating in the process needs to have a support organization which provides the technical support to ensure that the house is built properly. To qualify for this programme, beneficiaries must “Be married or cohabit with any other person, or you must have financial dependents; be a lawful resident in South Africa; be legally competent to enter into a contract. That is, you must be over 21 years of age or married and must be of sound mind; have a gross monthly household income of less than R3 500; not have received a subsidy from the Government to buy a house previously; be a first-time property owner”
However the PHP has not been without challenges, some of the concerns raised by Mthembu (2010), is the amount of time it takes for municipalities to release land for PHP projects, this is believed to be causing delays for som...

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... with beneficiaries being aware of their housing rights and responsibilities;
f) Local economic development is promoted with money spent being kept in the community increasing the local multiplier effect;
g) Stable communities with a direct stake in the future of their neighbourhoods are fostered;
h) Houses are built that are better suited to the needs of individual households; i) Women and the youth are more directly involved in the process, ensuring skills transfer;
j) Human settlements are built that a more sustainable because they are more inclusive and more responsive to the needs of the community and because communities have invested directly in the process.

Works Cited

Urban Sector Network (1998): Comments from the USN to the National Department of
Housing on the National Policy Document “ Supporting the Peoples’ Housing Process”.
Released in March 1998.

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