Project profile — Housing Action Project (Champ de Mars)

• Haiti (100.00%)

• Housing policy and administrative management:
Housing policy and administrative management (16030) (15.00%)
Low-cost housing (16040) (15.00%)
• Industry: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) development (32130) (15.00%)
• Other Multisector: Urban development and management (43030) (25.00%)
• Reconstruction Relief And Rehabilitation: Reconstruction relief and rehabilitation (73010) (30.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (significant objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (significant objective)
• Urban issues (principal objective)

The Housing Action Project (Champ de Mars) aims to respond to the need to resettle persons displaced by the 2010 earthquake via sustainable housing solutions. Facing the destroyed Haitian Parliament building, the Champ de Mars is an important public park, and one of the four largest camps for internally displaced persons (IDP), providing temporary shelter to approximately 5,000 families (approx. 20,000 individuals). This initiative aims to provide registered camp residents with assistance in finding suitable rental accommodation or in having their house repaired through the provision of one-year subsidies. Two neighbourhoods damaged by the earthquake expect to receive assistance in repairing and building small infrastructures providing access to potable water and sanitation services. As Canada's lead implementing partner for this initiative, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) coordinates the following activities with three other UN Agencies: camp residents' registration, evaluation of housing needs, delivery of rental subsidies to families, and final closure of the Champ de Mars camp; debris removal in targeted neighbourhoods, demolition of non-reparable houses and reparation of damaged but reparable houses; training and certification of construction tradespersons, delivery of business support and training for camp entrepreneurs, and provision of relocation subsidies to camp businesses; and the provision of financial support to receiving communities to rebuild essential community infrastructure and services.

The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include: (i) those living in displaced persons camps leave the camps; (ii) the availability of sustainable housing for displaced persons living in Champs de Mars, which respects the norms and standards of the government, improves; (iii) local authorities in partnership with community organizations including women’s associations offer better services in rehabilitated neighbourhoods; and (iv) relocated small businesses in target areas increase their revenue due to better economic opportunities linked to neighbourhood rehabilitation.

Results achieved as of January 2014 include: (i) the 26 camps located in and around the Champ de Mars area were closed by September 2012 and their residents now have sustainable rental accommodation or housing; (ii) with the assistance of the International Organization for Migration, 5,575 families (of which 50% were headed by women) were resettled into sustainable housing, and 96% of these families are still living in these homes; (iii) psycho-social and medical support was provided to 1,744 people; and (iv) 172 small businesses, 47% of which are managed by women, were relocated from the camps. In the two targeted neighbourhoods that were damaged by the earthquake: (i) small business entrepreneurs received cash grants and training to better manage their daily activities, including training on basic accounting and administration (some training sessions are still ongoing); and (ii) a potable water system and 15 electric transformers as well as committees responsible for their management were set up. These results are contributing to helping people living in internally displaced persons camps to find sustainable housing, and rehabilitating neighbourhoods so that they are able to offer better services and greater economic opportunities.

• Proactive disclosure