Land, housing and the homeless
Colleagues, we would like to provide a brief summary of what we heard this morning. Please feel free to add additional information.
· A policy is in place, but far too little money and a slow, clumsy implementation.
· State land should be made available at a much faster rate.
· What would be a problem with Wingfield and others?
· Churches and NGOs will have to join hands and insist on discussions with the state.
· Cooperation with the government must be sought, but a greater activist role will also have to be played.
· The process is currently too opaque (too top-down) with hopelessly too little consultation.
· Processes take too long. Transparent short-, medium- and long-term plans must be insisted upon.
· There is not enough science-based action.
· Patterns change all the time. "Backyard shacks" are now virtually more prominent than "independent shacks."
· Not “one size fits all”: For example, social, informal and GAP.
· The whole issue of homelessness requires a different approach.
· We are currently working on obsolete housing concepts.
· Lack of leadership to drive the whole process.
· We need more social laboratories (innovation).
· The above context creates a toxic context, within which land grabs/crime, racial tension, political tension and opportunism and police brutality thrive. This creates a form of anarchy.
· There are many questions about the allocation of houses and title deeds.
· One last question from me: Do we still have to give people houses at all? Or much rather serviced land and then empowering people to build their own home.