LTHAI Incremental Housing Construction
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This is an incremental housing project in Mandaue, which began in 2008. The project aims to provide shelter for two hundred and fifty-five (255) households of the Lower Tipolo Homeowners Association, Inc (LTHAI). Houses in the area had been damaged by fire on the 27th of July 2007. Land (1.6 of 9.2ha) on which Federation beneficiaries had been living was donated by the Mandaue City Government. The project has demonstrated the power of community-led processes in Mandaue.
Location: Mandaue, PhilippinesNinety (90) of the two hundred and fifty-five (255) houses have been completed to date.
Community capacity:Workshops and other training activities have been conducted and extended to all community associations within the 9.2-hectare land.
The community has also started a number of complementary initiatives. One initiative was the placement of a coin depository to maintain daily savings collection regardless of the amount. It is a valuable strategy, which is being used to strengthen community savings and alleviate the burden of collective monthly amortisations and other payments. The implementation of the community’s development projects and the design of a more affordable repayment scheme for the whole community have motivated community members to save more so as to be able to meet their monthly obligations.
Scale:The Federation's activities have motivated neighbouring communities within the hub of Mandaue City to replicate the process undertaken by LTHAI to improve their own communities. The adjacent communities, namely the Malibu-Matimco Village Homeowners Association, Inc (MMVHAI) and some of the HPFPI communities in Talisay City, have started to upgrade their own areas.
Impact:LTHAI’s long struggle to be heard and accepted by the City Government has ended. Its community upgrading efforts have finally garnered genuine Local Government support. The Philippine Action for Community-led Shelter Initiatives, Incorporated (PACSII), as the community’s support institution and partner in facilitating community-led approaches to infrastructure delivery, was accredited by the City Council.
Finance: SDI Contributions:SDI contributed US$100,000.00
Resources Leveraged:Through its community savings and initiatives, the community has been able to leverage funds for:
(a) a land-filling project that has already been started using funds from the Urban Poor Development Fund
(b) a water and sanitation project from Homeless International, and
(c) a housing project from Slum Dwellers International. LTHAI is the pilot project. The project will demonstrate community-led approaches to site and housing development in the hub of Mandaue City.
State Subsidy:The State subsidy was in the form of 9.2 hectares of land. LTHAI occupy 1.6 hectares of this land.
Costs recovered from community:None to date.
| Contact | Telephone | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonia Cardinogara | vmsdfi@info.com.ph | (+63) 2 455 9480 | |
Project information updated: 10 March 2016
Project in depth
Detailed Information
The intention is to incrementally construct two hundred and fifty-five houses using Interlocking Compressed Earth Blocks (ICEB). These blocks are an affordable alternative for low-cost housing.
Community capacity:The intention is for the community, through the Federation, to lead the process with the assistance of Local Government and other partners where they deem necessary. The demand on the technical aspect of the project has compelled the community to link and establish partnerships with professional groups or individuals from the academic world and other institutions. The support of the faculty and students of the University of San Jose Recoletos (USJR) College of Engineering in all of the community’s undertakings since the beginning has been evident. Recently, HPFPI-PACSII and USJR have met to discuss and formalise the partnership through a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA).
Scale:The intention is to replicate the project nationally. The LTHAI project will be utilised to demonstrate the power of community-led processes in the inner-city of Mandaue.
Impact:Relationships between the Alliance and Local Government have improved throughout this project. The Federation has helped the Government see the benefit of Federation processes (savings and community development). Talks with Local Government officials may make it possible for the Federation to access the City Development Fund for the urban poor.
Finance: SDI Contributions:SDI contributed US$100,000.00. Of this amount US$10,000.00 went towards project-linked technical assistance costs. The remainder covered capital costs.
Resources Leveraged:In addition to land from the State and technical assistance from the USJR College of Engineering students and academics, the Federation has been able to leverage equipment (on loan) for leveling and landfilling from local authorities.
Community savings had been the leverage in accessing financial support in upgrading development such as 4 Million Pesos for the land-filling activity, 37,563 Pounds sterling (US $ 53214) for water project and 40,000 Pounds Sterling (US $ 56,667) for Sanitation and Drainage Project that includes Technical Assistance and Capital Funds.
State Subsidy:The land on which the LTHAI members have been dwelling on was donated by the Mandaue City Government.
Market Generated Returns:None to date.
Costs recovered from community:LTHAI has started paying loans and other expenses through the daily savings of its members. The Alliance has also started looking into the possibility of getting mortgage redemption insurance or credit insurance. With this, eighty-five percent (85%) of money invested through repayment will be returned to the urban poor fund to be re-loaned to the next batch of housing applicants or be used for other upgrading projects to benefit other communities. The implementation of the community’s development projects and the design of a more affordable repayment scheme for the whole community have motivated the community members to save more in order to meet their monthly obligations. LTHAI members repay their monthly expenses through weekly collections of daily savings in their coin depository.
Basilan, R.S. (2015). Citizens Help Build Houses. [Online]. Available: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2015/08/30/citizens-help-build-houses-427547.
Inquirer.net. (2012). Deal Inked for Mandaue Socialised Housing Project. [Online]. Available: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/163005/deal-inked-for-mandaue-socialized-housing-project.
Perolina, F. Z. (2010). Mandaue Sets Aside P20 Million for Urban Poor's Housing. [Online]. Available: http://www.philstar.com:8080/cebu-news/636680/mandaue-sets-aside-p20-million-urban-poors-housing.
Perolina, F. Z. (2012). Informal Settlers get Certificates of Ownership. [Online]. Available: http://www.philstar.com/metro-cebu/2012/12/12/885180/informal-settlers-get-certificates-ownership.
Perolina, F. Z. (2012b). Mandaue, Asian Urban Poor Group Sign MOA. [Online]. Available: http://www.philstar.com/metro-cebu/787341/mandaue-asian-urban-poor-group-sign-moa.
Santos, L. A. (2015). Providing Low-cost Housing goes Beyond Building Four-Walled Structures. [Online]. Available: https://www.devex.com/news/providing-low-cost-housing-goes-beyond-building-four-walled-structures-86843.
Vincentian Missionaries Social Development Foundation, Inc. (2001). Meet the Philippines Homeless People's Federation, Environment and Urbanisation, 13(2): 73 - 84. [Online]. Available: http://eau.sagepub.com/content/13/2/73.abstract.
[BOOK]. Herrie, P., Ley, A. & Fokdal, J. (Eds.). (2015). From Local Action to Global Networks: Housing the Urban Poor. Surrey & Burlington: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
[PHOTOS]. The Philippine Alliance. (2011). Photo Update: Malibu Matimco Village Homeowners Association, Inc. [Online]. Available: http://philippinealliancecebu.blogspot.co.za/2011/05/photo-update-malibu-matimco-village.html.
[VIDEO]. The Story of LTHAI. [Online]. Available: http://vinformation.famvin.org/who-what/ministries-projects/the-story-of-lthai/.
Funding Information
Raised: | $100,000.00 |
Funding type: | Grant funding |
Implementing Partners
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
