October 29, 2007
By Ndaba Dlamini
JOBURG is setting up a database of all homeless people as part of its efforts to deal with the housing backlog.
The housing demand database, a provision in the City's revised Housing Allocations Policy, will replace the provincial housing waiting list, which has been described in some quarters as "non-implementable".
"This housing demand database differs qualitatively from the provincial housing list," says Tembela Mdlulwa, the deputy director of housing allocations in the City's department of housing
A comprehensive list of all people in need of housing is to be created
The database will help in the planning of targeted housing delivery as well as direct people to housing developers working in the city through the establishment of a housing opportunities database.
Families registered in informal settlements, backyard shack occupants, families allocated and living on serviced stands without top structures, people living in hostels, and the balance of the households that are on the provincial housing waiting list, among others, will be on the housing demand database, according to a report from the City's department of housing.
It will comprise an "aggregated" list of beneficiaries compiled in accordance with geographic location. Joburg, in partnership with the province, will update the database annually through a registration process.
"Households will be able to apply to be on the housing demand database on an ongoing basis. Those on the database will be prioritised and accommodated in terms of their status, for example, special needs," Mdlulwa explains.
Once a household has benefited from a government housing subsidy, the province will come up with ways to inform the beneficiary through the database.
Part of the development of the database will involve identifying and setting up a centralised office for the use and maintenance of the database. The City will be responsible for ensuring that daily backups of the database are done and that data captured are stored at a secure location.
Housing opportunities
The housing opportunities database will augment the housing demand database, "given the critical need and demand for housing in Johannesburg", according to Mdlulwa.
This housing opportunities database will record and maintain an up-to-date list of all housing opportunities available to low and middle-income earners. It will be available for free to residents at People's Centres.
Mdlulwa says it is important that the City has a good understanding of housing opportunities provided by other role players.
"The City will encourage housing suppliers, whether large or small scale, whether companies or individuals, to use this database as a mechanism for advertising their stock, whether available for rental or ownership," she says. Advertising of stock by developers will for free or at a "minimal cost".
Provincial housing waiting list
In 1996, the provincial housing department undertook to implement a housing waiting list. Essentially, it was a database used to allocate houses to households that applied for a government housing subsidy.
However, it has not been very effective in dealing with housing allocations for a number of reasons, among others:
- Households on the waiting list could not afford the R2 479 contribution required by the government;
- Communities in areas where housing projects were planned were not always on the housing list;
- The waiting list was not able to accommodate adequately households that required rental tenure options;
- Municipalities and the province were not adequately maintaining the waiting lists;
- Data inputted into the original list was incomplete and/or incorrect; and
- The province did not remove from the database households that had benefited from the subsidy.
According to the provincial waiting list from 1996 to 2005, 211 221 households registered for a housing subsidy and housing opportunity in Johannesburg. It is not clear, however, how many of these have received a housing subsidy and are living in government-subsidised houses.
Revised allocations policy
With limited funding available for housing developments and rising pressures in terms of housing backlogs as a result of new household formations and growing urbanisation, Mdlulwa says that who is able to access housing and how it is accessed are becoming increasingly complex.
"The City faces the daunting task of providing decent houses for an estimated 360 000 households on the housing list. It is, therefore, important that policies and procedures are developed and implemented to ensure that a fair, equitable, and transparent allocations process is possible."
In 2002, Joburg approved the Housing Allocations Policy but, given the changes in national and provincial policy parameters as well as challenges in its implementation, it has become imperative that a new policy be devised, Mdlulwa says.
"The original policy has not been able to respond adequately to the housing delivery challenges being experienced by the City. Among these challenges has been the illegal sub-letting of units by tenants, addressing the housing needs of 'non-qualifiers' and issues of succession."
The revised allocations policy will look at these issues and ensure that citizens, especially those with lower incomes, are able to access housing. It will also provide a framework for housing allocations at projects developed by the City's housing department, and where the City has entered into agreements with other stakeholders, such as the provincial department of housing.
Using the national subsidy eligibility criteria, the revised policy proposes allocation criteria for the following housing projects:
- Upgrading of informal settlements programme;
- Greenfields and integrated housing projects;
- Social and institutional housing;
- Council-owned rental stock;
- Accommodation for senior citizens;
- Staff hostels;
- Public hostels; and
- Emergency housing accommodation.
For applicants to qualify for a housing subsidy, they have to be South African citizens; be married or habitually cohabitating; have a monthly income not exceeding R7 000, not yet benefiting from government funding; and they must be first-time property owners. In addition, applicants should be on the provincial waiting list.
However, priority will be given to special needs groups. The aged and disabled, people living in over-crowded buildings, and people evicted from land and buildings will be given first priority.
Allocation challenges
The revised allocations policy addresses certain challenges not tackled by the original policy. For example, certain measures will be implemented in instances where qualifying beneficiaries die before they are allocated a house.
In instances where the children of the deceased beneficiary are over 21 years of age, they will be eligible for the subsidy and will be allocated a house. If the dependants are under 21, a legal guardian must be appointed and the house will only be transferred to the dependants of the deceased once they are 21.
Frequently beneficiaries cannot be traced. The City must exhaust all possible channels to locate the beneficiary - including placing notices in local newspapers - before asking the provincial housing MEC to deregister the subsidy.
"The City is engaged in ongoing discussions with the province on the implementation of the housing demand database. If the database is implemented we hope to go a long way in eradicating informal settlements and providing decent accommodation for our residents," Mdlulwa explains.
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