Phase I: Immediate Shelter
Resident Selection.
Residents will be screened prior to being given usage rights to a unit in a development. The purpose of the Haiti Housing Project is not only to provide shelter to those in need, but to foster a healthy and self sustaining community. This all starts with the family. The ideal residents will be families with two parents and more than one child. It is assumed that many families will have one or two elders or grandparents as well. Families that do not have elders will be paired with one elder in need of housing. Communities will be designed based on roles needed and community member skills/abilities. The idea is to build a self-sustaining community where each individual can contribute their appropriate skills. Families will not be "given" units. Families will be given mortgages via a microlending institution and will be required to make monthly payments. The loaned cost of each unit will be $1500 and will be managed through Fonkoze ( http://fonkoze.org ). Resident selection and community building will take place prior to development construction and will be administered by a team of 4 individuals.
Container Transport to Site
Once a site is selected and planned by the Project/Civil Engineer. The containers will be shipped and transported to the site to provide immediate shelter for selected families. Families will be responsible for transporting themselves and their belongings to the development. Upon acceptance into the development, families will receive a document that contains all the appropriate details, including their unit number. Containers will be transported to the site and temporary services installed. Containers will be temporarily placed in rows, and numbered accordingly. Containers will be placed in a manner where there is one entrance and exit to the entire development. The number on each unit will be very large and very visible, as it is critical in the unique fabrication and preparation of each unit.
Phase II - Infrastructure and Preparation
Unit Preparation
At this stage, the building team will commence preparing the units for habitation. Working unit by unit, they will fabricate windows, pour earth floors, and install insulation panels and bathroom units. The majority of interior preparation work can be done during this phase, creating comfortable and habitable environments in the interim, as the larger development is being prepared.
Site Preparation
The majority of the major site work including grading, shared utility installation, drainage, and structural foundations will be accomplished at this phase.
Phase III - Stacking and Finish
Stacking and Securing
At this stage, the units will begin to be stacked and fastened together in the planned fashion. The home interiors will be completed prior to stacking. Units will have been prepared for fastening bolts and ties and ready for stacking. A crane will be employed to pattern and stack the units as planned.
2 temporary bunk units will be used onsite to house families while their unit is being stacked. The construction interim is expected to be less than 2 days per family.
Phase IV - Economic Stability and the Future
Education
The key to Haiti's future is education for the youth. To this effect, one major communal area built into this design is a classroom. Each installation will house approximately 60 children. Each classroom will be outfitted with 20 computers provided by the One Laptop Per Child program. http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Haiti.
http://www.iadb.org/NEWS/detail.cfm?Language=En&parid=2&artType=PR&artid=4413&id=4413
We are currently looking to partner with other programs aiming to target the schooling solution in Haiti, who will be responsible for the details surrounding school infill and management.
Garment Production
Providing ongoing jobs for members of the community will be critical to building the ladder that will pull it's members out of poverty. To this effect, and in light of The Plus One for Haiti ( http://geneva.usmission.gov/2010/02/16/ustr-haiti-initiative/ ) initiative and subsequent trade legislation, garment manufacturing facilities will be built into each development. The facilities will in effect be leased to a manufacturing partner, the proceeds of which will be used to subsidize the development costs of the installation and provide community upgrades. The manufacturing partner will be required to pay at least $10/day to employees, double the current minimum wage in Haiti and triple the minimum wage for garment manufacturing. The facility will be purposed to house 40 workers and subsequently generate $8000/month of cash influx to the community. All manufacturing, employment, management etc. will be managed by the leasing company.