HUMAN SETTLEMENTS INDABA Policy & Research Commission Presented by: Ms Mbali Ndumo 14 November 2011

Contents  Housing Needs  Housing Demand Data Improvement Programme (waiting list)  Beneficiary Selection  Special Housing Needs  Backyarder Housing Assistance

Housing Needs

Housing Demand Data Improvement Programme  To assist municipalities to improve their housing demand data collection and management systems and practices that would result in fairer beneficiary selection;  To ensure integrity of housing waiting lists; and  To ensure fairness in the housing beneficiary selection processes.

Housing Demand Data Improvement Programme This project started in April 2010 and was executed in two phases: Phase 1: Assessed the housing demand data collection and management systems and practices at all 24 non-metro municipalities. Phase 2 : Based on those findings a municipal support strategy was developed to assist municipalities to improve their data collection systems and practices. Support strategy was implemented in 9 municipalities (pilot) Housing demand data of all 24 non-metro municipalities were linked to the National Housing Needs Register (NHNR) – central data base.

Housing Demand Data Improvement Programme : Way Forward  Technical support  Roll out of support strategy to remaining 15 municipalities  Data cleaning and sustainability  Mass upload of registrations post May 2010

Beneficiary Selection  Selection policy & practice  Data collection & management  Current approach - Framework Policy for Selection  Core principles: non relocation, green field projects  Institutional arrangements: Overall distribution of responsibilities  Communication, consultation & channels for objection

Special Housing Needs  Specific provisions in human settlement policy framework  Size of subsidies and some variations  Prioritisation through selection (details covered in Beneficiary Selection)  Care-based accommodation i.Key issues related to care based accommodation

Backyarders’ Housing Assistance  The National Housing Strategy - Breaking New Ground as well as the Western Cape Strategic Objective 6 (PSO6) i.Emphasize importance of increasing housing opportunities and providing people with different options for accommodation, according to their needs  Resolution of Summit, 2008: i.“Backyard dwellers to be treated same as people living in informal settlements.” ii.Perceived favoritism to providing services to those in informal settlements (e.g. damaged by fire) over those in backyards iii.Need to explicitly recognise backyard dwellers and informal landlords

Consultation Process  Interviews with: i.Rental Tribunal ii.Developers iii.Building organisations iv.Planners v.Financial institutions  Focus groups: Bonteheuwel, Langa, Athlone  Municipalities (especially City of Cape Town, Knysna)  SANCO  Gauteng Department of Housing  NGOs and CBOs  Metro-wide consultation process facilitated by DAG

Current Situation: Waiting Lists  No single ‘waiting list’ in the Province. i.Each municipality has its own ‘waiting list’ or ‘lists’ and each operates differently. ii.Pool of names, not a ranked list  Municipalities have different approaches for how they select names. i.Names chosen based on location or need or registration date, or mix of above  Informal settlements prioritised. i.Since 1994 appears informal settlement dwellers mainly selected, especially in the cities/larger towns: greenfield projects near informal settlements; in situ upgrades ii.Informal settlements get priority in development of projects iii.Backyarders and people in overcrowded conditions only selected to limited degree As a result: many people are very frustrated with ‘waiting lists’ and feel the system for allocating houses is unfair.

Approach to address backyarder need  1 st objective: Improve system for allocating subsidised houses so that backyarders are given more priority  2 nd objective: Create more affordable rental units in well- located areas, for backyarders who prefer to rent or don’t qualify for subsidized houses  3 rd objective: Prevent exploitation i.rental tribunal extends to landlord ii.tenant relationship  4 th objective: A public consultation process and consumer education is part of the housing subsidy administration and approval process.

Thank you Dankie Enkosi