Towards Effective Social Housing Policy (Part i)

BACK TO THE VILLAGE

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Back in the village, in the days of yore, home-ownership had never been a problem in spite of the large and polygamous families. Land was there, so were building materials. Labour was free, because neighbours, friends, relatives and indeed the entire community were ever ready to work; the prospective homeowner only needed to make food and palm wine available.
I remember as a child when I, in company of others, was at the swamp to get raffia palm leaves to make mats for the roofing of one of our neighbour’s house.

It was fun. As I look back I can appreciate how organized and disciplined the then village people were. There was law and order. The town-crier’s gung was all that was needed to halt all activities and be attentive for the message of the town-crier. A message delivered was carried to the dot.

There was division of labour. The men climbed and cut the bamboos and trimmed the leaves; we young boys did the packing of the leaves. The men would tie up the leaves for the maidens to take home, while the bamboos were carried by the men. All the young boys had “wives” for that day. Each of the maidens would choose a young boy as her “husband” for that day.

Looking back, I kept wondering why the maidens called the boys “My husband” instead of my “house boy”, because the young boys were actually carrying their (maidens’) belongings. They had bags for their fine cloths which they changed into after the day’s work. They had bags for vegetable (nnyama – now extinct) and snails which they picked at the swamp; and other things. All these were carried by the “husbands” – see the irony! But the maidens did know how to treat their “husbands” well, when it was time for food. They’ll do the cooking and each one of them would make sure she had a good portion of fish (the men would do a bit of fishing before work started) for the “husband”. Each maiden ate together with her “husband”.

After eating, there was a brief resting moment before homeward journey. 
That was the commencement of the process of housing a neighbor.

There came a day for the sticks (mboi). This time, the maidens would have to do without their “husbands” as there were no tasks for the young boys. The men and maidens would head for the bush to collect construction sticks (mboi). These were hard and semi-hard wood of between 50mm and 100mm (2” – 4”) in diameters. It would take two to three days to assemble the wood and bring them home depending on the size of the proposed housing unit.

Meanwhile, the young boys (husbands) back home are preparing the mats so that they would be dried enough when the building is set for roofing.

The process of construction would commence with clearing and leveling the site of the proposed building. “Expert” would set-out the building using lines, and their feet for tapes. The sticks (mboi) would be closely pinned to the ground along the lines. They would be connected together with ribs (mkpana) and strings. Bamboos brought from the swamp would be used as roof members and the building would be ready to receive the mats.

Mud pits would be dug closed to the building. The men took charge of digging the pits and preparing the mud, while the maidens and their “husbands” would make repeated journeys to the stream for water. All the works were done at no cost to the new homeowner, except feeding. Food was all that was expected of him. He must ensure that there was enough good food and sweet palm wine for everybody. In a matter of days a new housing unit was added to the village to the delight of every member of the community.

These communal efforts of achieving home-ownership are vital towards effective Social Housing Policy. It may not be possible to adapt all the features of “village home-ownership”, but there are lessons to be learnt, that would facilitate the effective implementation of Social Housing Policies in Cities.  

HOUSING DEFINITION

Housing could be any form of shelter that provides adequate protections against danger, and weather conditions, as well as conveniences necessary for human comfort. Housing is not a product but a process that relates to household growth and size. It is a process with four stages of development. Each stage fitting squarely with household development or growth.

HOUSING AS A PROCESS OF HOUSEHOLD GROWTH

Back in the village house ownership was a process, not a product, resulting from collective inputs of a community. No male of adult age was without a house of his own. Of particular significance was the evolution of a single family unit, which led to a compound, then to a neighbourhood, to a ward and ultimately to a village. Entering a village, one would notice the grouping of houses that reflects family ties. Typically, the different families that make up a village live in close proximity to each other.

Just for the purpose of illustration, let’s examine a young man who by providence has no brother or sister. His late father was monogamous. His mother struggled alone to bring him up (not by way of education, as education was not given prominence in those days). He turned out to be a very hard working and determined person. He has started at a young age to farm extensively. Of course, being alone, all his father’s farmland were his, so he could farm as much as his strength could take him. His mother, on the other hand needed grandchildren. So pressure was on him for a wife. But he didn’t want to start his family where he was living with his mother. So he decided on being a house owner, and thus set in motion the process of housing.

His house plan was simple and straight forward (fig. i):

                                       (Fig. i ) Single Family Unit

He had 3 rooms with 2 verandahs, one in front, the other at the back. That’s all he needed as a young man about to start a family. Of the 3 rooms, one would be the parlor; one – his bedroom which he will share with his future wife; the other one would be his mother’s. Cooking would be done under a shade at the backyard. Food would be served at the back verandah while he received his friends at the front verandah.

The land was a big one, but he was conscious of the fact that he may have more than one wife – he experienced loneliness but not for his generation. So the building was sited at a corner to allow for expansion. As years went by and his family size grew with more children and wives, his single unit housing also grew into “a compound” (Fig. ii):

                                    (Fig. ii ) Compound Setting

Thus a startup ‘single family unit’, had evolved to ‘a compound’, and in the process of becoming ‘a neighbourhood’ within the village.

HOUSING NEED

Housing need has been referred to households lacking their own housing or living in housing which is inadequate or unsuitable, who may not be able to meet their needs in the housing market without some assistance. This is a misconception as it implies that households who are able to meet their needs in the housing market without assistance are not in need of housing.

Housing is said to be one of man’s most important basic needs, second only to food (though we are yet to hear of ‘shelter strike’, but there are a lot of ‘hunger strikes’). If it be so, then housing need should not be related with “inability to meet their needs in housing market without some assistance”. As a basic need, a household needs housing whether or not it can afford it without some assistance. This need could be segmented into Four Categories, each corresponding with household growth and size.

  

HOUSEHOLD GROWTH/SIZE

Professionals in the Housing Sector have over the years tried to relate housing needs only with household size, rather than growth. Here, we shall attempt to establish a unique relationship between housing needs and household growth.

STAGE I

A typical household emerges or starts with an individual - male or female; but for the purpose of this write-up let’s consider the male.

What is the housing requirement of a man who has just “declared independence from his parents?”

Regardless of whom he is and his financial status, the “new independent man” needs (not wants)

(i)                Space for some form of activities – ironing, eating etc.

(ii)             Space for rest or sleep and privacy

(iii)           Space for cooking and storage

(iv)           Space for conveniences (bathing, toileting etc.).

This is Stage I Housing Need corresponding with Stage I Household Growth.

A careful understanding of these needs and how they inter-relate would lead to the creation of ideal Housing Units for this Stage.

STAGE II

The “New Independent Man” noted that “it is not good for a man to be alone”. So, he searched for and found a “help meet for him”. At this point, there would be a slight change in his Housing Needs, as the lady would require a lot more privacy than the man. In addition to all the needs in Stage I, is “more Privacy”. This “New Independent Man” has two choices – add additional space or create privacy within the available space. The choice he makes depend on his financial ability. With extra funds, he may decide on additional space, otherwise he would try to ensure adequate privacy for the lady within the available space. One choice here depends on need, while the other depends on desire or want. For the purpose of this write-up, let’s assume that he has decided to create privacy within the available space.

The created Housing Unit for this choice would require a bit of re-arrangement or re-organization of the “sleeping space” in Stage I. Basically, the Housing Type here is about the same as in Stage I.

STAGE III

“Go ye and multiply”; but don’t create a village of your own! The “independent man” has more additions to his household – the man, his help mate with children. This is a very crucial stage in the development and growth of a family. This is a stage where family growth and housing needs are, in most cases, at disparity with family income, and therefore a likelihood of stress-overcrowding occurring. It is a stage where the family size increases almost every two years for, possibly the next eight to ten years but without much corresponding increase in the family income.

At this stage of the household growth, there is a definite need for additional housing space, not only for privacy, but also for convenient and comfort. All these cannot be provided for within the existing Housing Unit.

The Household needs a new Housing Unit which could be accomplished, either by expansion of the present unit or moving to a larger unit with more space. Either way it is regardless of his finances, a need has been established, and the need must be met otherwise the Household would be subjected to stress-overcrowding.

What would be needed at this Stage in addition to what were available in Stages I & II would be:

(i)                More sleeping spaces

(ii)             Larger activity space

(iii)           Larger cooking space

(iv)           More convenience spaces

(v)             Outdoor space (Optional)

However the optimal house type to meet these needs will be determined by the family income. These needs and family income would influence the creation of optional Housing Units ideal for this Stage, for the household choice.

STAGE IV

At this Stage the housing need is practically back to Stage II. The children have all finished schooling; they have all declared their own independence. The household is left with Mum and Dad and perhaps a house help. Do Mum and Dad still need the Housing unit in Stage III? It is not very likely.

What has been established here based on Household Growth and Needs is that, there are three to four types of Housing Units required for those in need of Social Housing.

It is not clear if this has ever been considered in the planning and formulation of Urban Housing Policies.

URBAN HOUSING

Urban housing is one of the biggest social problems faced by any government, yet given very little or no attention. Nigeria is said to have a housing deficit in excess of 20 million units of various types, with slumps and squatter settlements all over.

But how did cities get to this? City authorities would say “Rural-Urban migration”. But let’s come home a little bit and tag it “Village-City Movement” (VCM).

Village-City Movement is a product of the parasitic relationship between cities and villages. Cities depend on villages for all the food items consumed in cities, yet Governments deny village dwellers basic things like quality healthcare, good drinking water, electricity, etc. but harass them for taxes and levies. Youths from various villages, with false expectations migrate to cities in search of non-existing jobs. They add pressure to the already over-stretched social infrastructure, housing being key among them.

Urban Housing as we view it consists of two categories – Social Housing and Elite Housing.

Elite housing is structured for occupants with financial ability to pay for the house types of their choice. The housing types are with features and embellishments that only signify status symbol not necessities. This aspect of Urban Housing should be allowed for private developers, with Government creating enabling environments for their operations.

Social housing on the other hand, is structured for occupants with no financial ability to pay for their shelter needs. Social housing therefore requires public assistance in the form of subsidy, a word Nigerians would not want to hear.

But subsidies could be designed for effective implementation. Social Housing Policies must therefore be designed in such a way that the programme is benefited by those in need. It must ensure that as much as possible the programme is not hijacked by the Elites. This would be achieved not only through an effective legal framework, but also through the involvement of the prospective occupants in the planning and implementation processes.
Read Part ii here

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