HOUSING EXHIBITIONS & MODEL HOUSES

The idea behind housing exhibitions and model houses is to showcase housing options, promote community-led housing processes and demonstrate to government officials and potential funders the capacity of slum residents. Most of the urban poor in the cities of Odisha live in temporary shelters (of straw, mud, plastic sheets etc.) that require annual repair. The Alliance, especially Mahila Milan, work with communities to bring out ideas that lead to the development of disaster-resistant, affordable housing using cheaper materials and local skills. A typical process in a Housing Exhibition involves the communities getting together to decide the house design and build the temporary, 1:1 house themselves. Bamboos are used to provide structural support and Sarees are used as a unit measure to decide the size of a room and the spatial layout of the house. The housing exhibition enables people to walk through the house and envision the space. While selecting the building technologies and the materials most families have certain construction knowledge and are able to discuss cost-saving techniques. These housing exhibitions and model houses also form training centres created by the community for other communities. Construction and repair are funded through a combination of loans and subsidies, offered on the basis of an individual contribution towards the cost of the house. To date, over 55 model houses have been built and 44 houses repaired in settlements of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Puri and Paradeep.