Self help housing: the geographic impact of Habitat for Humanity projects in Wilmington, Delaware

Abstract

Providing quality affordable housing for the urban poor has been an on-going concern for many countries. Since the Industrial Revolution, urbanization, fueled by both natural increase and rural-to-urban migration, has become an inevitable process for almost all societies. This influx of people into urban centers produces a high demand for affordable housing that the housing market is rarely able to provide. Governments are often equally unable to close the gap in demand for inexpensive housing. The result is often overcrowding and the profusion of squatter settlements. In response, the idea of "self-help" has been suggested as a feasible solution to housing needs. In developing countries, this approach refers to a practice where low-income groups build their own dwellings through collective efforts. In developed countries such as the United States, the adoption of such an approach has been slower, but recently self-help housing has been considered a viable alternative to government housing assistance programs. ☐ Using case studies, the experiences of self-help housing program homeowners in two Habitat for Humanity neighborhoods in Wilmington, Delaware are examined. Their experiences provide insight into the benefits and challenges of homeownership for low-income families who are often denied homeownership opportunities provided by the private sector. In the first study area, Habitat-renovated units are in a dispersed pattern; in the second, units are usually contiguous. ☐ The purpose of this study is to examine the impact on neighborhood improvement and homeowner well-being of a geographically compact targeted renovation versus a scattered pattern of housing improvement. The question asked is whether a certain mass, or a geographical density, of housing units is necessary in order to effect an improvement in the neighborhood's social environment. Furthermore, the study examines the extent to which a given density of units can have "spillover" effects, attracting additional private sector renovation and an improved social environment beyond the boundaries of the neighborhood. ☐ The results of the study indicate that in the area where Habitat's housing units were dispersed, despite improvement in the area's physical appearance, there were no multiplier effects from the new units, either within or beyond the neighborhood boundary. In the area with clustered units, the density of new homes was sufficient to generate a modest improvement in the social environment, and particularly an improved sense of residential safety from the crime. However, the mass of new housing was insufficient to produce any ripple effects of the improvement beyond its borders.