Social housing: What lessons can be learnt from the international experience?

Abstract

The National Department of Housing is currently in the process of developing a policy framework in which the emerging South African social housing sector is expected to operate. The primary goal of social housing is to provide the essential service of housing at cost to people with limited financial means. In this study the provision of social housing in Europe, South America and Africa was studied with a view, to identify the particular ways and means in which social housing is provided under different situations and also, to identify the lessons that can be learnt from such experiences for the emerging social housing sector in South Africa. This study provides a description of social housing and the evolution thereof and focuses on the institutional and other support structures necessary for a successful social housing movement, the financing of social housing and lastly the management of social housing projects/social housing institutions.