Assessing the Success of the Hobhouse Housing Project in Addressing the Right to Adequate Housing in Mutare

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to assess the extent to which the Hobhouse Housing Project provided adequate housing for the disadvantaged groups in the City of Mutare. The assessment was based on the seven dimensions of adequate housing as delineated by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (2009). These dimensions include legal security of tenure; availability of services, materials, facilities and infrastructure; affordability; habitability; accessibility; location; and cultural adequacy. The study adopted the qualitative approach and used interviews, documents and focus groups to collect data. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants and the sample consisted of 5 house owners and 3 committee members, with the addition of Hobhouse Ward councilor and 2 Haarlem Mutare staff for the focus group discussion. The Hobhouse Housing Project effectively implemented the human rights-based approach in its programming. The study showed clear evidence of active participation of the beneficiaries in the project, non-discrimination and equality in their selection, their empowerment through the project and the accountability of all project beneficiaries. The project satisfactorily addressed all the seven dimensions of the right to housing. Overall, the dimension that was most effectively addressed was the legal security of tenure which can be considered as the most critical for the disadvantaged residents because they now have homes. It can also be concluded that the dimensions that were least addressed were affordability in the context of payment of rates and habitability in the context of some uncompleted houses. This was largely due to the harsh economic environment that has resulted in high unemployment and poor business for those who worked in the informal sector. With respect to addressing other forms of human rights, the study concluded that the Hobhouse Housing Project satisfactorily addressed the rights to water, education and health. Additionally, the project brought about some unexpected benefits or externalities such as increase in the beneficiaries’ ontological security, social capital and sense of safety. Given the numerous direct benefits and externalities associated with the housing project, the study recommends implementing a similar project in other parts of the City of Mutare and other parts of the country. Human rights-based approach should be embedded in the recommended projects.