Homeless International

Homeless International
Founded 1989
Type Registered Charity No. 1017255 (Scotland: SC041976)
Focus Slums, urban poverty
Location
Origins British Housing associations
Area served
 Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia
Method Supporting partner organisations; grants, financial services, technical assistance and advocacy
Members
 229 (in 2011)
Key people
 Chair of the Board:
Simon Dow
Chief Executive:
Larry English
Employees
 19
Slogan Transforming slums, creating homes.
Website www.homeless-international.org

Homeless International is a British NGO focusing on urban poverty issues (including slums and social housing) in the developing world. It is a membership organisation registered both as a charity and a company limited by guarantee, with many members being UK housing associations.

History

Homeless International was initially created in 1984 as the International Year of Shelter for the Homeless Trust or IYSH Trust UK, for the 1987 International Year of Shelter for the Homeless.[1] The Trust organised a fundraising campaign and offered grants to more than 100 projects, both in the UK and overseas, all related to shelter issues.

After the year ended, demand for support was still present in developing countries (for instance for establishing land tenure, offering loans for house improvements, improving basic infrastructure...); the remaining funds were used to set up a permanent organisation to respond to this demand, named Homeless International, and established in 1989. The trustees appointed Ruth McLeod as Director, and she remained Chief Executive until 2007, when Larry English took her succession.

Homeless International's vision is of a world in which all people can exercise their right to adequate land, shelter and services. It believes that sustainable solutions to homelessness can be created only if people have access to land, finance, information, organisation and technology - and if they are involved in the design of solutions that work for them.

Homeless International's work is mainly focussed on community-led initiatives and on urban poverty, although some of its current partner organisations also work in rural areas. It helps slum dwellers by supporting the development of civil society organisations in Africa and Asia that are rooted in communities and that create housing and basic services solutions, which are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.

Activities

Homeless International works by supporting community-led projects and initiatives related to slum upgrading and social housing development in over 13 countries by supporting 16 local organisations (see below under Current partners). The support is given in the form of: grants helping these organisations to accomplish their projects and to build their capacity; organisational development support and technical assistance for housing and infrastructure projects; bank guarantees from the Guarantee Fund; capital grants and loans from the Community-Led Infrastructure Finance Facility (CLIFF); loans from the Bond.

Grants

Homeless International disburses around £1 million of grants every year to partner organisations, especially for younger organisations which are developing community work, undertaking surveys and mapping of slums, and piloting demonstration schemes in housing and infrastructure (such as water supply and sanitation). Such grants are funded by DFID, Comic Relief, the Big Lottery Fund, the European Commission, the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission, and private trusts and foundations such as the Baring Foundation.[2]

The Guarantee Fund

The Guarantee Fund was established in 1994 to enable communities of slum dwellers to access loans from banks. Given the perceived high risk of lending to slum dwellers, few banks in developing countries are willing to lend to such organisations. The Guarantee Fund was created to offer guarantees to bank so as to lower their perceived risk. The main contributors to the Fund have been UK Housing Associations through long-term deposits. The Guarantee Fund has been used chiefly in India and Bolivia.

CLIFF

The Community-Led Infrastructure Finance Facility (CLIFF) was created as the result of a DFID-funded research entitled Bridging the Finance Gap, started in 1999, and first piloted in 2002 in India.[3] It is a venture capital facility which allows communities to implement demonstration projects, in order to secure funding for larger-scale projects. CLIFF is typically used to fund more mature organisations, able to take on loans and larger amounts of capital finance, but still unable to access mainstream housing finance (especially in countries where the financial sector is still under-developed).

Homeless International coordinates CLIFF. A first phase ran between 2002 and 2010, with almost £10 million funded by DFID and SIDA; a second phase is running until 2015, with around £20 million committed by the same funders.[4] CLIFF started in India in 2002, in Kenya in 2005, in the Philippines in 2007, in Nepal in 2010, and in West Africa, Malawi, Angola and Zimbabwe in 2011.

Bond

The Bond (originally named "The Africa Bond") is a soft loan facility created in 2007, funded mostly by UK Housing Associations through interest-bearing deposits, aimed at providing soft loans to local partner organisations unable to access other forms of loan finance. Loans are typically issued at 6% per annum, for housing projects. As of 2012, loans have been issued to NACHU.[5]

Partner organisations

Current partners

Homeless International currently supports the following local organisations.

Some of the above organisations are part of global networks, including Slum Dwellers International, the ACHR, and the International Co-operative Alliance.

Past partners

In the past, support was also provided to:

This does not include around 50 organisations supported by the IYSH Trust during the 1987 International Year of Shelter for the Homeless.

Notable projects

Examples of projects supported by Homeless International include:

Publications

References

  1. ↑ McLeod & Mullard 2006, p. 11
  2. ↑ Homeless International's Directors' Reports 2008-2012
  3. ↑ McLeod & Mullard 2006, p. 20
  4. ↑ Homeless International, How CLIFF works
  5. ↑ Homeless International,How the Bond works
  6. 1 2 3 ACHR E-News July 2010
  7. ↑ SDI / ACHR, Face to Face, a Dialogue on Exchanges
  8. ↑ "World Habitat Awards - Innovation. Sustainability. Transfer.". Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "World Habitat Awards - Innovation. Sustainability. Transfer.". Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  10. ↑ "World Habitat Awards - Innovation. Sustainability. Transfer.". Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  11. ↑ "World Habitat Awards - Innovation. Sustainability. Transfer.". Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  12. ↑ "World Habitat Awards - Innovation. Sustainability. Transfer.". Retrieved 23 July 2015.

External links

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