Venezuela

Context at a glance

In 2000, the housing deficit in Venezuela was 1,700,000 units. 770,000 new homes were required and 800,000 houses were in need of repair, according to the National Housing Council. Estimates show that in 1994, the urban population reached 85.68 percent of the total population, making urban housing an ever-increasing challenge.

People build makeshift houses from cardboard and zinc and plastic. Some homes in rural areas are built of soil. The lack of decent housing affects families' health – their homes are overcrowded and lack the basic sanitary services, such as clean water and sewage facilities. In some urban settlements and slums, many children aged 6 to 12 years do not have any access to schooling. Developments in rural areas have focused on environmental sanitation to eradicate disease and protect the health of the communities living there.

In general, banks do not loan money to low-income families, since they require documentation and guarantees that many families cannot provide. Also, unemployment has increased during the past years and many families in cities do not have the means to make monthly rent payments.

Habitat for Humanity programme

Upon the invitation of a local non-governmental housing organisation, Habitat for Humanity opened a programme in Venezuela in 2000.

Two years later, its first affiliate, Iribarren, started a pilot project in which nine houses were built in the mid-western state of Lara.

In 2003, the Metropolitan affiliate opened to serve three central states: the Capital District, Miranda and Vargas. It plans to construct 56 houses in Miranda, in the urban zone of San Francisco of Yare, with the help of the San Antonio Consortium, an entity comprised of various organisations whose mission is to construct houses for people affected by the 1999 natural disaster in Vargas.

A third affiliate, Anzoátegui, is forming in the eastern part of the country with the help of families in need in El Tigre, as well as other members of the community, including churches, businessmen and the media. This affiliate will focus on replacing inadequate homes with secure homes and helping very low-income families finally see their dream of having a decent house come true.

The average size of a Habitat house in Venezuela is 43 m². They are built progressively, so additional rooms are added in accordance to the family's needs and financial means in the future. The average cost of a house is £3,366. The family's monthly payments are around £19 and the loan is for a period of 15 years. These monthly payments are cheaper than the average rent of a substandard house.

The house design used in Iribarren is light, flexible, resistant and secure against earthquakes. It is economical as well as fast and easy to construct. On top of all this, it saves on construction materials, such as cement and wood, and significantly reduces waste materials. The average time required to build a house is four weeks.

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