The Homeless People’s Federation of the Philippines’ (HPFP) community-led housing project supported Iloilo City’s low-income communities by using participatory processes to manage and scale up their housing projects. With support from the Iloilo City Local Government Unit, Iloilo City Urban Poor Federation, Inc. and Iloilo Federation of Community Associations, Inc., HPFP equipped community members with knowledge and skills that allowed them to become active drivers of inclusive urban development.
Iloilo city could not keep up with housing demand despite efforts to provide housing options without distant relocation. At least 3,500 informal settler households lived in flood-prone and low-lying areas, and flood control measures further displaced more than 3,400 families. The Iloilo City Government undertook many flood control projects over the years, but these very same mitigation measures exacerbated the city’s housing backlog.
- Targeted low-income populations whose socioeconomic capacity precluded them from building safe and adequate human settlements
- Used an empowerment framework and facilitated social inclusion by consulting vulnerable populations: Community expertise, borne from people’s first-hand experiences with crises like forced evictions and climate-related disasters, was given equal value as that of traditional experts.
- Set up a community savings program that helped participants meet the needed personal funding for the project (this savings program is active even today, with the community using it to access funding support for their own community development projects)
- Delivered decent, safe and accessible housing units that were responsive to the specific needs of the city’s vulnerable members
- Adapted housing units to the city’s changing climate realities:
- Many residents opted for two-story houses, which could withstand flash floods
- Used Interlocking Compressed Earth Blocks (ICEB), which were easier and cheaper to produce and cooler compared to conventional materials, making the units more suitable for tropical climates
- Well-developed site plans ensured that people did not live in very close quarters, making it easier for communities to manage and respond to both natural and man-made hazards like fires and disease outbreaks
- Solidified the role of urban poor communities as key partners in the city’s development by formalizing partnerships with government offices: Members of HPFP, many of whom are also community leaders in the housing project, are often given a seat in the city government’s technical working groups and multi-sectoral councils to address a wide range of development issues, particularly those affecting the urban poor
- Provided employment and supported livelihoods: Many of those who moved into the resettlement sites set up alternative sources of income, such as neighborhood sundry stores and itinerant vending, while other community members were able to apply their new skills to other construction and government office jobs across the city
- Increased the availability of affordable public transportation to local universities, hospitals and other basic services, easing the overall cost of living of community members
- Fostered social cohesion among community members
- Bolstered community members’ confidence and provided space for learning exchange with housing technical professionals
- Inspired some housing project participants to became volunteers for HPFP in Iloilo City
- Increased opportunities to elevate urban poor issues and concerns to higher levels of policy formulation and development planning
