every community should be
self-reliant
Our urban programming takes a community-driven approach to the planning and implementation of slum upgrading, addressing access to services, disaster risks, land tenure security and organising and empowering communities to advocate for the services they need.
Rapid migration from rural to urban centres creates a need for over 25,000 new dwellings a day. Two-thirds of these are needed for low-income earners, along with an additional 250 km of roads, associated basic services and over 65,000 new jobs.
This housing shortage contributes to growing informal slum settlements worldwide. As these numbers continue to increase, governments are unable to keep up with the demand for land, housing and essential services. As a result, slum dwellers often end up paying more for less reliable and lower quality amenities from private suppliers, and living on marginal land which is more vulnerable to natural hazards such as flooding.
Without any formal ownership over the land on which they live or ability to access formal financing, poor families struggle to invest in long-term improvements to their homes and find themselves stuck in a cycle of poverty.
Habitat for Humanity Australia’s urban programming takes a community-driven approach to the planning and implementation of slum upgrading, addressing access to services, disaster risks, land tenure security and organising and empowering communities to advocate for the services they need.
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The time to act is now. Without coordinated efforts, the challenges facing people in informal settlements will continue to grow.