Page 35 - Islands Business October 2023 edition

Building and Construction

ADDRESSING THE PACIFIC

HOUSING CRISIS

By Samantha Magick

The authors of recent housing ecosystem assessments
conducted in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga say that improving
access to habitable, affordable and secure housing requires
more widespread training in construction skills amongst
women, financial literacy training and support, and
strengthening of traditional community structures such as
women’s committees (Komiti Tunama in Samoa).
The assessments were commissioned by Habitat for
Humanity, conducted by local experts in the three
countries and presented at the Pacific Housing Forum in
Suva in early September.
In Samoa, the study found that those most vulnerable to
housing insecurity were low-income communities in coastal
areas (where vulnerability was exacerbated by sea level
rise, coastal erosion and flooding), women-led households,
and early school leavers and unemployed citizens.
In Tonga, the most vulnerable were people living in
informal settlements (particularly those in low lying areas),
overcrowded households, people with disabilities and
women-headed households.
In Fiji, vulnerable groups were low-income formal
communities, low-income informal settlements and people
living in social housing provided by the Public Rental Board
(PRB) and Housing Assistance and Relief Trust (HART).
Through a process of desk research, stakeholder mapping
and interviews, all three studies observed significant
increases in the cost of building materials and a need to
improve data collection and monitoring of housing, water
and sanitation services.
In Samoa, the study observed a lack of qualified builders
and non-compliance with codes, ‘extremely common’
customary land disputes affecting security of tenure, and
poor hygiene and sanitation in low-income households.
Non-compliance and lack of understanding of building
codes was also observed in Tonga, as well as a general
ignorance of resilient housing. Very high electricity costs
also contribute to the unaffordability of adequate housing.
In Fiji, overcrowding is prevalent, and the standard
of housing in low-income communities is inadequate.
Access to water and power is a core problem in maritime
and informal settlements, where there is no managed
infrastructure.
The assessment and contributions from the floor at the
Forum, stressed the need for review of Fiji’s National
Building Code and investigation into the viability of
alternative models of housing finance, including micro-
insurance.
It documented issues such as the Public Rental Board’s
Samuela Bainikalou in his new home in Kalekana, outside Suva. Bainikalou, who is work to develop more housing options, review strata title
partially sighted, lives with his 72-year-old mother and school-aged son. Habitat for
Humanity Fiji built the home, replacing a termite-infested and rotting structure that bore
signs of damage from Tropical Cyclone Winston, more than four years later. Continued on page 37
Islands Business, October 2023 35