Resettling Families in Port-au-Prince
USAID pilot program provides housing options to displaced families.
Residents of Pétion-ville joined Haitian President Michel Martelly on November 11 to celebrate the successful resettlement of hundreds of Port-au-Prince's internally displaced families. The event marked the completion of the first phase of a USAID Office of Transition Initiatives (USAID/OTI) pilot project that since September has provided resettlement assistance to more than 1,300 people who were living in temporary shelters in Place St. Pierre and Place Boyer, two of the city's public squares.
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| Young people play soccer on Place St. Pierre, a public square that was recently home to hundreds of displaced people.
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Following the January 2010 earthquake, thousands of Haitians took up temporary residence in public spaces throughout Port-au-Prince. Parks and squares that once served as neighborhood gathering sites were transformed into crowded tent communities.
USAID/OTI developed the pilot program with the International Organization for Migration in response to a request from the mayor of Pétion-ville. The pilot program offered families three relocation options: housing repairs to structurally sound, existing homes; installation of temporary shelters; or one-year rental vouchers.
When President Martelly assumed office last spring, he vowed to immediately help Port-au-Prince's displaced families. Launching the 16-6 Initiative this summer, Martelly pledged to rebuild 16 neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince and resettle residents living in six camps, including the two Pétion-ville squares. The methodology of the USAID/OTI pilot program has become the foundation for the initiative's camp resettlement process.
The USAID/OTI program also provided the 16-6 Initiative's first success: within three months, all of the families had chosen options and safely moved out of the squares.
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By providing economic, social, and community development assistance, USAID is working to ensure that displaced Haitians successfully transition from temporary shelters to longer-term situations.
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The psychological impact of the transformation cannot be underscored enough. The squares went from places covered by tents to parks where young people may once again play soccer, illustrating the importance of restoring the city's public spaces. As one Pétion-ville resident said, "It was like losing something really important and then suddenly finding it again. It makes me very happy."
Relocating the thousands of internally displaced families remains a paramount concern in Haiti. Building on the success of the pilot program, USAID/OTI is coordinating with the U.S. Embassy and international partners to bring this initiative to scale. By safely resettling families, USAID/OTI aims to restore normalcy, rebuild communities, and encourage hope.
For further information, please contact:
OTI Haiti Team, DCHA.OTIHaitiDCProgramManagers@usaid.gov.
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