Habitat for Humanity focuses on building shelter Haiti

Now that the rainy season has arrived in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, safe, dry shelter is more   critical than ever before. Of course, housing has been a priority since the earthquake struck, but relatively dry weather has kept some complications of the disaster at bay. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians are still living outside in Port-au-Prince, however, and the rainy season, which began in May, could bring outbreaks of typhoid, malaria, or other diseases. Habitat for Humanity is on the forefront of efforts to provide shelter to homeless and landless Haitians. We spoke with CEO Jonathan Reckford about the organization's short-term and long-term plans.

Housing is a critical need, particularly with the rainy season, which began in May.   What is Habitat's plan to help Haitian families?

The earthquake on January 12 destroyed nearly 190,000 homes and left more than 1.5 million survivors in need of shelter. Given the magnitude of the need, Habitat for Humanity has set an ambitious target of helping 50,000 families impacted by the earthquake. We have a three-fold plan that includes assembling emergency shelter kits that help families make immediate repairs and construct temporary shelter; conducting structural damage assessments; and building transitional shelters. We are also organizing unaffected families to host affected families and have trained more than 30 local engineers in the ATC-20 method of post-earthquake building safety evaluation.

Our main focus now is on constructing transitional shelters to help as many families – as quickly as possible – obtain safe, dry shelter. Transitional shelters are temporary but solid structures that are resistant to the elements and can house families until they are able to move into – or return to – permanent homes. For families living on their own land, transitional shelters can be upgraded overtime to become permanent homes. Habitat is now building up to 70 transitional shelters per week and has built nearly 400 shelters. So, while we are doing everything possible as fast as we can, the reality is so much more is needed. It's not a quick process.   

What is the process for developing a long-term housing plan for Haiti?

Before the Haiti earthquake, Habitat for Humanity was an active part of the U.N. Shelter Cluster, which is part of the system that was set up after the Asian tsunami to coordinate efforts. Since the earthquake hit, we have been working with other members of the cluster on short-term as well long-term planning. We want to make sure the long-term shelter planning lines up with the overall infrastructure plan. We want to make sure the permanent housing we build will be close to businesses so that Haitian families can earn their livelihoods.

How does the U.N. cluster system work?

There are clusters for all the major areas, like education, medicine, and shelter. The idea is that the major nonprofits that participate in each area work together to coordinate their response after a disaster. The idea – and we've seen it work quite well in Haiti so far – is that we would agree on common approaches. So, for example, within the Haiti Shelter Cluster, we've agreed on the need for emergency shelter kits as well as the overall strategy for providing transitional shelters. The goal is to have a coordinated approach across all shelter agencies and to agree as much as possible on who is doing what and working where to ensure we don't leave any gaps in our collective response.  

What are the larger decisions that need to be made before you can develop a long-term housing plan?

There have to be decisions made around land use and land planning. Questions remain such as which roads will be repaired or reconstructed, what areas will have access to water, and where power will become available. There are many infrastructure questions that must be answered because they are vital to building a community. In a sense, you need a master plan, and everyone needs to be able to work off that common plan. Habitat wants to build in places that are sustainable for families in the long term.

The other piece is there's a complex process of land titling. We have to know where new land will be allocated for housing, and the Haitian government has to have the ability to certify titles and rights to land. The biggest challenge for the Haiti Shelter Cluster, for example, is the lack of available land on which to build transitional shelters, either because land ownership is unclear or because land is blocked by debris. Also, we need to think about what design is appropriate for Haiti. What's the supply chain and what's the availability of materials? 

What sort of support do you need from the public?

Typically, there's a short, intense relief stage after a disaster and a much longer redevelopment stage that can last years. We hope the public and donors continue to support the immediate needs of Haiti but also its long-term redevelopment.