43 IFCP-Affected Families Finally Own CLIFF Houses

August 21, 2010 - After a year of managing the construction of their own houses, forty-three housing participants of the Riverview Homeowners Association, Inc. finally get a house through the Community-Led Infrastructure Finance Facility (CLIFF) Housing Project in San Isidro Relocation Site, Jaro, Iloilo City. These families have been residing in high risk areas for many years, along the Jaro River, and who were identified and tagged as affected families of the Iloilo Flood Control Project (IFCP). CLIFF is an international programme that aims to build the capacities of organized urban poor towards housing and slum upgrading solutions through a finance facility. CLIFF Philippines intends to provide low-cost and affordable housing to the poor. CLIFF is being funded by the UK-Department for International Development (DFID) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), managed by the UK-based NGO called Homeless International. CLIFF-Philippines, which is being implemented by the Homeless People's Federation Philippines, Inc. (HPFPI) and its is support NGO known as the Philippine Action for Community-led Shelter Initiatives, Inc. (PACSII), started this housing project in 2007, having Iloilo City as the pilot city to test and learn from people's process or community-driven experiences in low cost and decent housing for the poor. CLIFF programme was accessed by the Philippine Alliance with full support from the Slum Dwellers International (SDI) - the Alliance long time partner for development supporting grassroots processes. Below were photos taken during the awarding ceremony.

The Philippine Alliance, headed by Fr. Norberto Carcellar, C.M., and its local CLIFF Partners from the Iloilo City and national government, academe, urban poor network, and the CLIFF community (RHVOA), jointly perform the ribbon cutting prior to actual awarding of houses to its deserving participants.

The awarding of housing units is done through a lottery. Representatives from partner-institutions and RVHOA members pick a ball to know whose the next lucky person to own a house.

The first CLIFF Landmark, made of Interlocking Compressed Earth Block (ICEB), is a simple tribute of the Alliance to its international and local partners, particularly the Iloilo City government and the Iloilo City Urban Poor Network (ICUPN), both have been very supportive to CLIFF undertakings. The 172 housing units in CLIFF-San Isidro promote ICEB technology as alternative housing construction.

Newly awarded housing participants like Raymond Jinon started to beautify and did some interior designing of his house right after the awarding ceremony.

The Category C housing block. Under this category, each unit costs P150,000 from CLIFF loan plus P25,000 labor equity as community counterpart. The group has more than P60,000 worth of savings through their collective efforts. They still need to consume the remaining funds up to the last cent for their next priorities for housing improvement.

This is the block for the second batch of 40 housing participants. Each family can avail a CLIFF loan of P110,000 plus P20,000 worth of labor equity. At present, construction is now on the second floor of the unit.