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Shelter
It is estimated that more than 1.5 million people were left homeless by the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti in January 2010. Even those whose homes were left standing were, in many cases, unable to return to these unstable structures as aftershocks continued to affect the country. Among the various Episcopal Church properties that served as temporary tent camps for people following the earthquake, the largest tent camp emerged on the grounds of College St. Pierre in Port-au-Prince. College St. Pierre at one time housed upwards of 2,500 persons.
Emergency Shelter
In the immediate aftermath of the quake, CEDDISEC, with support from Episcopal Relief & Development and in collaboration with the Episcopal parishes situated in the communities surrounding the epicenter of the quake, began assisting people with temporary shelter materials such as plastic tarps, wood and nails, and family-sized tents.
In Phase I, CEDDISEC assisted 1,350 families with shelter materials. This included 450 families who received insecticide-treated tarps and construction materials, and 900 families who received family-sized tents. While the majority of families assisted were located in communities and camps surrounding the 11 Episcopal parishes of Port-au-Prince, Delmas, Carrefour and Léogâne, 21 additional Episcopal parishes and institutions outside the quake zone in the north and south of Haiti also received CEDDISEC shelter supplies for distribution to the many people displaced to these areas.
Provisional Homes
To restore a sense of security and privacy to families left homeless following the January 2010 earthquake, CEDDISEC, with support from Episcopal Relief & Development, launched a provisional home program that also creates opportunities for individual and community participation in home construction.
CEDDISEC’s provisional home objectives are:
- To restore a sense of physical and emotional security to families left homeless, through the construction of one provisional home per family.
- To improve household privacy, health, sanitation, and hygiene through the construction of an outdoor shower and latrine, and the provision of two insecticide-treated mosquito nets per home/family.
- To create short-term economic independence for individuals in the communities where homes are being built, through the creation of an estimated 500 hours of construction-related employment per home.
CEDDISEC’s response to the shelter needs of Haitians impacted by the earthquake involves building provisional houses for families in need. The program is intentional about creating opportunities for individual and community participation in home construction, which increases an individual’s feeling of ownership of his or her home and work, instead of being a passive recipient of aid. In partnership with Episcopal parish priests, local committees help identify families seeking immediate provisional housing, as well as construction workers (skilled and unskilled) seeking employment. CEDDISEC technicians then work alongside these individuals to ensure that the work is in compliance with CEDDISEC’s model provisional home.
CEDDISEC’s model provisional home was designed and developed by CEDDISEC’s Shelter Manager and engineer, Gregory Despero, after field visits and consultations with other international shelter organizations. CEDDISEC’s model meets Haiti’s UN Shelter Cluster and International Sphere standards, having been designed with an emphasis on security, durability and utility. The model home built includes 195 square feet of living space and features a reinforced wooden frame anchored 12 inches into the ground, a 16-inch raised cinderblock foundation, rubble-filled and concrete-surfaced flooring, tin roofing, plywood walls and interior paneling, two windows, and interior and exterior painting. Unique from other shelters being constructed, CEDDISEC’s model home also includes the construction of an exterior latrine and shower, and the provision of two insecticide-treated mosquito nets. The homes are intended to last three years, and home owners can either improve them or use the components to construct a more permanent dwelling.
In Phase II, CEDDISEC launched the provisional home program in June 2010. During Phase II, 145 homes were built in the communities of Port-au-Prince, Delmas, Carrefour, Gressier, Matthieu, Darbonne, Léogâne-ville, l’Acul, Buteau, Trouin, Grand Colline, Tabarre, and Croix des Bouquets.
In Phase III, CEDDISEC increased its program goal to provide for the construction of an additional 175 homes in rural areas such as Matthieu, l’Acul, Buteau, Trouin, and Grand Colline, and in urban areas of Carrefour, Delmas and Port-au-Prince.
As of December 2011, a total of 270 homes have been constructed since the start of CEDDISEC’s shelter work in June 2010, thus restoring families' sense of security and improving sanitation and privacy for 1,240 individuals, of whom 35% are children. At the same time, through the construction work, an estimated 1,084 individuals were employed and 398 family members of homeowners participated in the construction.
The following is a summary of the characteristics of the families:
- 54% have improved sanitation over their pre-earthquake situation
- 49% are headed by a woman
- 23% are headed by an individual 60 or older
- 19% have a member that was either seriously injured during the earthquake, or had a prior handicap or chronic illness
- 81% are members of the Episcopal Church
- 60% were living next to their destroyed home
- 11% were living in a tent camp
- 87% were living in a tent, tarp or provisional structure
While CEDDISEC continues its provisional home program, the shelter team is also exploring designs for an affordable, yet more permanent, cement block model to be tested later in 2012.
