Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka launches new indicators for measuring adequate housing

Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka (HFHSL) recently launched the 2009 version of Defining Indicators to Measure Adequate Housing in Sri Lanka as part of its activities to commemorate World Habitat Day.
This booklet which was sponsored by TEARFUND UK is a culmination of three years of research and data analysis and encapsulates the identifying and defining of a set of indicators which can assess adequate housing within Sri Lankan circumstances.
The booklet’s overall objective is to raise the standard of adequate housing while expanding and deepening its overall understanding among policy makers and stakeholders who operate in the poverty housing spectrum. While HFHSL, and other key stakeholders were the main partners, the booklet also capitalises on the insights of a varied group of community representatives which included representatives from governmental bodies, housing and construction companies, NGO and INGO bodies as well as low-income home owners. HFHSL together with experts from NGOs, INGO’s and other institutions first drafted a set of indicators. This was then tested in the field by Social Policy Analysis and Research Centre (SPARC) under the guidance of Professor Hettige in seven Gramaseva Niladari Divisions across four districts.
The indicators that define adequate housing are habitability, durability, location, access to safe water, access to solid waste management, access to storm water management, access to electricity/energy/fuel, access to common resources, affordability and security of tenure. The booklet also specifies and identifies the data and research behind identifying these indicators while also specifying the potential barriers that have to be overcome to provide adequate housing in Sri Lanka.
Speaking on behalf of HFHSL Tony Senewiratne the National Director for HFHSL and Editor of the booklet stated that “This booklet and the information it provides would be of help to policy makers and practitioners in applying and setting standards of housing for the poor in future programmes”. Professor S.T Hettige, Professor of Sociology, University of Colombo further added “This publication illustrates the point that poverty housing can be eliminated only if we define and accept minimum technical and social standards.”
Conrad De Silva, National Consultant to the UNHABITAT stated “I was very privileged to have been invited to be a member of the stakeholder panel in the compilation of this booklet. Indeed addressing the need for adequate housing for the citizens of Sri Lanka, especially the low income groups is a well accepted ideal of Government and the non-government sectors. The consensus at the deliberations was to provide some guidelines to broaden and deepen their understanding of what constitutes “adequate housing” in the current context while giving necessary attention to current human poverty aspects. I am very happy to see that this booklet serves this need adequately and would like to recommend its use as an adequate reference document to all practioners in the housing sector.”
The ambitious United Nations Millennium Development Goals, the globally agreed drive to tackle poverty and deprivation in all its forms, include specific calls for “a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020”. Habitat for Humanity puts such goals into reality by transforming lives through the provision of safe, decent and affordable homes.
Since its inception in 1995, HFHSL has assisted 11600 families across the island build or renovate their own home. In addition to launching the Defining Indicators to Measure Adequate Housing in Sri Lanka booklet, HFHSL also commemorated World Habitat Day with a range of events which included the commencement of building a staff sponsored home to a family with a disabled child in Galle, while another home will be handed over to a child in Moratuwa, whose whole family was killed in the Peraliya train incident during the 2004 tsunami. The launch of the Defining Indicators to Measure Adequate Housing in Sri Lanka is part of Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka’s overall strategy for the next three years.