The
National Housing Policy: Supporting the PHP (People's Housing
Process) was adopted by the Minister of Housing in May 1998. The
Policy focuses on poor families in both urban and rural areas,
using capital subsidies to allow people to build their own homes.
It also assists people to obtain access to technical, financial,
logistical and administrative support to build their own homes, on
either an individual or a collective basis.
The
broad mandate of the PHPT is aligned with the National Housing
Policy: Supporting the PHP, which stipulates and defines the PHPT
mandate as capacitating and engaging with national, provincial and
local governments and civil society to meaningfully participate
and support the PHP. In order to create adequate capacity for the
PHP, the Department established the PHPT in June 1997 to implement
a Capacitation Programme to support the PHP.
The
main objective of the Programme is to develop capacity at all
levels of government, non-governmental and community-based
organisations, and communities to support the PHP.
The
PHPT has five programmes:
-
communication
-
training
-
research and development to develop a database of
information which is easily accessible
-
technical advisory
services to establish and manage a support programme
-
corporate services to ensure efficient and
effective functioning.
The
PHPT is funded by the United Nations (UN) Development Programme,
the UN Centre for Human Settlements and the US Agency for
International Development. Government assistance to the PHP is in
the form of subsidies, facilitation grants and housing support
funding.
The PHPT
will be integrated into the Department of Housing during 2007.