Habitat for Humanity Argentina
Habitat for Humanity Argentina -- Habitat for Humanity Int'l 1
Housing need in Argentina
In December 2001, Argentina suffered a severe economic collapse that left 50 percent of the population below the poverty line. Today, almost one-third of Argentinean families live in inadequate housing conditions. Some 90 percent of the population resides in urban zones. According to the National Institute of Statistics and Census for Argentina, severely overcrowded houses--those with over three people to a room--constitute over 8 percent of this urban population.
In Argentina, loan facilities for acquiring a house are very restricted, mainly because of the inflation processes that have affected the economy in the last decades. Many middle income families can no longer afford new homes. Meanwhile, in precarious neighborhoods where low-income families reside, some 3 million homes are in need of either replacement or rehabilitation, and 20 percent of the country lacks a convenient water source for cooking. (World Bank, 2006)
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Habitat for Humanity in Argentina
Habitat for Humanity Argentina was officially constituted as a Civil Association in 2002.
In 2003, Habitat Argentina initiated the project “Rebuilding Santa Fe One House at a Time”, to assist families affected by severe flooding in Santa Fe that year. In collaboration with a local university, construction began on March 1, 2004. Just one day later, the first foundations were also set in the city of Luján.
The national organization is now present in Buenos Aires, Luján, Santa Fe and Cañada de Gomez. Habitat Argentina’s projects include: Complete houses, Incremental Improvements, Guided Rentals, Financial literacy, Legal literacy and Little Bricks (for children).
Model projects
Habitat for Humanity Argentina supports several initiatives, in addition to traditional home construction.
Assisted rentals: This project acts as a bridge between property owners and families living in inadequate conditions such as poor quality hotels or boarding houses. In order to rent housing in Buenos Aires, a family needs to own property within the city, or to otherwise obtain the guarantee of such a property, as well as to have a secure source of income. The assisted rentals project offers a rental alternative for families with sufficient, though informal, income and with no guarantee of property.
Legal literacy: This project is an educational course which covers the different legal aspects related to the acquisition, legalization and protection of properties. The program helps families to navigate the various obstacles involved with legalizing their land, and educates them on the various aspects of purchasing property within the legal system. Professional volunteers have assisted in the planning and leadership of the workshops.
Financial education: This project is aimed at educating and accompanying partner families in the planning and administration of their home economy. The manuals and methodology used are the result of a project designed by Habitat for Humanity International and financed by Citi Foundation. Through a series of workshops, families learn to administer their income and expenses, and learn to design a budget, analyze and control their expenses, and follow a savings plan. Families are also informed about the risks and advantages of taking out loans with Habitat for Humanity or other organizations.
Incremental improvements: This project is designed to help two different groups of families: those who have a home that only needs an extension or an improvement, and those whose income is not enough for them to repay a loan. HPHA provides smaller loans for Incremental Improvements as part of a long term plan to gradually help them acquire adequate housing (including title deeds to the land where applicable). This project is carried out in association with other organizations who complement the work of Habitat for Humanity Argentina.
Urban recuperation: A newly developed project will allow Habitat Argentina to purchase and renovate buildings in marginalized areas of Buenos Aires. The buildings reside in areas where security issues and economic depression typically prevent investment in existing vacant structures. The renovated spaces will be rented to families currently residing in transitory hotels. After renters have demonstrated commitment to the monthly payments, they will be given the option to purchase the apartment, applying the accumulated rental payments and repaying the mortgage in 15 years.
Complete houses
In addition to the projects above, Habitat for Humanity Argentina continues to build complete homes. Homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor, helping to build their houses and the houses of others, together with volunteers. Their monthly payments go into a Local Rotating Fund, which allows the construction of new homes.
Learn more about Habitat for Humanity in Latin America and the Caribbean.