Solid House Foundation (SHF) believes that the way sustainable development is financed needs a major change. There are not enough development-funds available to finance the improvement of habitat for more than a billion people who need it. It is also not very stimulating for the pride of those people to approach them from the help-standpoint. The target group should be seen as capable of providing for their own development. Therefore, it is essential to make a shift from ‘aid’ to ‘investing’. The living conditions of groups, who have been perceived as underprivileged until now can be improved if those groups invest into the improvement themselves. It is these groups who have to prove that they are financially able to receive and repay a loan. Their economic development is the key to a creditworthy habitat improvement. The motto is: “a house with a mortgage, no mortgage without income”. It is, however, not very easy to find institutions that would be ready to provide these groups of people with mortgages. To be able to upscale ‘Credit-Based Housing’ (CBH) we need (affordable) loans as well as a good network of people willing to cooperate effectively with each other. It is not easy to find a good combination of expertise in the fields of habitat, finance and insurance.
SHF and MICRO MORTGAGE
Micro-Mortgage Think Tank (MHDT-Dutch abbreviation)
SHF’s MHDT consists of 4 professionals from the finance world, a coordinator and the director of SHF. They spend half a day per week trying to establish a professional network and affordable loans. This core group of 6 people is also assisted by the expertise and knowledge of numerous guests, who help to accelerate this development.
Core group of financial experts: Toon Luttikhuis, Eric van de Ven, Patrick van de Laar en Frank Gleumann
Coordinator: Els van Zalinge
Other members: Wim Stroecken
Bolivia, Microcredit for housing
Your own home, paid for yourself
Our credit-based housing programme has been initiated in the tropical lowlands of Bolivia. Families that have already achieved a basic financial state will be able to enter a credit product created specifically for them, with low interest rate, an appropriate pay back time and a guarantee adapted to their local situation, thus making it possible to build a healthier and sustainable home.
The established credit system is correlated to the housing programme, which will result in a house “menu” with different habitat improvements linked to the credit prices. Some families will choose the most expensive type of house improvement; others will look for a cheaper version. In this way we offer a custom-made solution which is accessible to everyone.
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Kenya-Nakuru urban renewal and upgrading programme
Objectives
- Increase access to affordable and cost effective housing, water and sanitation and other social amenities for the residents of Nakuru town
- Develop and implement a Strategic Housing Vision for Nakuru (SHVN) to guide the fast growth and dam the urban sprawl
- Identify and encourage the use of appropriate and affordable building technologies
- Help organise and support housing cooperatives to set up self-help housing schemes
- Identify and design micro mortgage possibilities for inhabitants wishing to build their own house
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