IOM IRAQ SPECIAL REPORT - ReliefWeb · 2012. 6. 15. · Van der Auweraert, Peter. Land and Property...

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IOM IRAQ SPECIAL REPORT SHELTER

International Organization for Migration (IOM) field staff monitor the needs and conditions of families affected by displacement as well as members of vulnerable host communities throughout Iraq’s 18 governorates. Moni-tors conduct interviews with communities affected by displacement and consult local councils, mayors, mukhtars, and other religious and community leaders.

The following report aims to highlight the increasingly urgent housing situation in Iraq. As the number of inter-nally displaced persons (IDPs) has grown over the past years, communities have come under pressure to accom-modate the associated population movement. Displaced and host community families alike are significantly af-fected by the country’s shortage of appropriate housing, a shortage that affects the health and livelihoods of vul-nerable Iraqi communities.

F A S T F A C T S

Nearly 500,000 people live in squatter settlements throughout Iraq.1

More than 200,000 are in Baghdad alone.2

Of assessed vulnerable families living in substandard shel-ter, 48% are displaced and 46% are host community, indi-cating that obtaining adequate shelter is a challenge for IDPs and host communities alike.

The Ministry of Construction and Housing estimates that it would need to construct one home every 45 seconds of each work day in order to keep up with demand.3

The private building industry’s inability to catch up with demand causes high construction costs. With no formal financing or mortgage system in Iraq, home construction and home ownership are attainable only for the inde-pendently wealthy.

Problems are further compounded by the lack of builda-ble land and the high cost of materials.

R E C O M M E N D A T I O N S

The Government of Iraq and appropriate ministries should work to:

Make available public financing systems that would make home ownership and home construction available to a wider range of Iraqis.

Implement upgrade and resettlement plans to accompa-ny evictions of families living informally on public land.

Invest in the rehabilitation of existing housing in dense urban centers and/or offer incentives to landlords who prioritize building upkeep.

Address questions of legal status and property rights of both IDPs and returnees, including claims from pre-2003.

International organizations should work in collabora-tion with the Government of Iraq to:

Supplement resettlement and upgrade programs offered by the government in the way of materials, NFIs, or livelihood projects.

Provide upgrades of housing materials and structures to vulnerable families wishing to integrate in their current locations and in need of durable shelter.

Provide livelihood projects to afford families the ability to pay rent and/or construct and upgrade their own homes.

Identify and prioritize settlements and populations in need of housing upgrade or legal resolution as recom-mended previously by IOM.4

Provide technical assistance to ministries implementing housing finance programs and spearheading private sec-tor partnerships.

1. UNHCR, as reported by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting on May 27, 2010: http://www.alternet.org/world/147021/half_a_million_displaced_iraqis_face_grim_future_in_squalid_squatter_camps

2. Ibid.

3. UN Habitat and Ministry of Construction and Housing, 9.

4. Van der Auweraert, Peter. Land and Property Issues in Kirkuk: Recommendations for an Integrated Approach. International Organization for Migration, 2009.

An IDP shelter made of cans and mud in Khinfara

Village, Babylon.

http://www.alternet.org/world/147021/half_a_million_displaced_iraqis_face_grim_future_in_squalid_squatter_camps

http://www.alternet.org/world/147021/half_a_million_displaced_iraqis_face_grim_future_in_squalid_squatter_camps

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C O U N T R Y H O U S I N G B R E A K D O W N

IOM’s survey of vulnerable communities covered families living in a broad range of housing situations, from those in their own homes made of durable materials, to displaced families in tents or improvised shelters made of cans. Field staff inter-viewed families throughout Iraq, including members of host communities, displaced families, and returnee families (both from abroad as well as returnees from internal displacement).

Monitors found that Iraqis’ rates of living in the surveyed types of housing varied depending on a family’s displacement sta-tus, ethnicity, religion, and governorate of residence. The most common type of housing arrangement for assessed vulnera-ble families is a house or apartment owned by the family. Unfortunately, the second most common type of housing is sub-

standard, with 26% of families living in public buildings, former mil-itary camps, collective settlements, or some other form of impro-vised shelter.

When broken down by displacement status, vulnerable families in the host community are, as expected, much more likely to be living in homes that they own, while the population of displaced families includes higher percentages of those living in rented housing (24%) and substandard shelter (35%).

The 2006 bombing of Al-Askari Mosque in Samarra launched a wave of sectarian violence that precipitated the displacement of 1.6 million Iraqis. In the six years that have passed since the Sa-marra bombing, few of those IDPs have returned home, leading to a situation of prolonged displacement that has put pressure on host communities throughout the country.

Lack of adequate shelter is one of the most pressing problems affecting displaced Iraqis and host communities alike. Beginning long before the onset of violence in 2003, the housing shortage grew out of decades of poor land management occurring alongside international sanctions and a population that has doubled in the last 30 years5. The situation has become so severe that U.N. Habi-tat and the Government of Iraq (GoI) estimate that 2 million more homes will be required by 2016.6

Current factors exacerbating the housing shortage include the ina-bility of both the public and private sectors to keep pace with de-mand, a lack of land that is legally available for housing construc-tion and inflexible rules and regulations regarding land ownership transfers, the inability of Iraqi families to pay high rental costs, and the inexistence of home financing programs. In the absence of adequate and affordable housing, many vulnerable families live in unhealthy collective settlements and improvised shelters, often illegally, if they are unable to move in with relatives.

B A C K G R O U N D

5. Gowen, Annie, “In Postwar Iraq, Housing is Scarce and Pricey” Wash-ington Post, September 25, 2011. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/in-postwar-iraq-housing-still-scarce/2011/09/19/gIQAu9H0pK_story.html

6. UN Habitat and Republic of Iraq: Ministry of Construction and Hous-ing, Iraq National Housing Policy, October 2010. Page 9.

A family in their home made of improvised materials

in Baghdad.

SUBSTANDARD HOUSING

During data collection and for the purposes of this report, ‘substandard’ housing is an umbrella term including residences

within public buildings and former military camps, tents, homes that are part of collective settlements, and other shelters con-

structed of improvised materials such as mud and/or cans and scrap metal. Homes constructed of concrete blocks that are un-

finished or include improvised roofs made of tarps or sheet metal are also considered to be substandard.

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Abandoned farm houses in Al-Dareya village

in Qadissiya

A N U R B A N D I R E C T I O N : R U R A L T O U R B A N M I G R A T I O N

As is the emerging migration trend throughout the world, Iraq’s population is becoming increasingly urban as rural families move towards cities in search of work and improved living conditions.

IOM monitors in Qadissiya in 2011 noticed a marked increase in rural to urban migration largely due to an acute lack of wa-ter in rural villages that affected irrigation and crop maintenance. 27% of all assessed vulnerable families report not being able to access at least one water source sufficient for their personal use, and 25% of families report having to walk at least 5 minutes to access a water source, with some families being forced to travel as far as 3 kilometers or more.

A lack of services such as schools, potable water, and electricity have created difficult living conditions in rural areas, further prompting migration to the cities. The Mayor of Al Diwanniyah reported in the summer of 2011 that approximately 5,000 families had migrated from the countryside into Al Diwanniyah city. In Muthanna, 41% of assessed IDPs cited their reason for displacement as drought in their place of origin. Rising urban migration has led to the creation of collective housing set-tlements on the outskirts of Iraq’s cities, creating dense and unhealthy conditions and adding stress to local services, schools, and labor markets.

C O U N T R Y H O U S I N G B R E A K D O W N C O N T I N U E D

The distribution of housing conditions among the assessed population varies widely by governorate, with some locations home to as many as over 66% of all assessed families living in substandard housing (Missan), or as few as 1% of families or less (Anbar and Sulaymaniyah). Rates of all families, as well as rates specifically of displaced families, renting or owning their homes varies between the governorates just as widely. These numbers do not represent a census of the country’s entire pop-ulation. IOM’s monitoring program focuses instead on assessing the conditions and needs of vulnerable communities. For a full breakdown of housing variation for assessed families by governorate, see Annex 1.

Distribution of Housing Conditions by Displacement Status of Assessed Families Throughout Iraq

A collective settlement on the outskirts of

Baghdad.

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S U B S T A N D A R D H O U S I N G : C O L L E C T I V E S E T T L E M E N T S , I M P R O V I S E D S H E L T E R , A N D P U B L I C B U I L D I N G S

Of the nearly half a million Iraqis living in collective settlements countrywide, approximately 200,000 are in Baghdad.7 Of the 21,044 vulnerable families (representing 104,833 individuals) interviewed by IOM monitors since November 2010, 6% were living in collective settlements and an additional 17% were living in some form of improvised housing.

IDP homes in Kirkuk made out of improvised materials and with no access to services.


Hours of Electricity Available to Assessed Families Living in

Substandard Housing

7. UNHCR, IDP Settlements in Iraq. April 2011.

8. For more information, please read IOM Emergency Needs Assessments: Displacement Due to Flooding in Northern Iraq, M ay 2011.

Collective settlements often occupy public lands and may consist of improvised homes made from any materials found nearby. The shelters are often as-sembled in a haphazard fashion in locations that are both vulnerable and dangerous—amongst landfills or alongside railroad tracks—and are situated both within and on the outskirts of cities.

The improvised types of shelter found in collective settlements are hazardous to their residents in two significant ways. First, because families living in such settlements often build their homes using mud, sticks, and scrap metal, these structures are vulnera-ble to poor weather. IOM documented such cases in April of 2011 when heavy rains caused flooding in the North and Central regions of the country. The rain and subsequent flooding damaged and de-stroyed the homes of already displaced families, many of whom had been living in settlements with homes that were unable to withstand the weather.8

These settlements often lack access to basic services such as water, sanitation, and electricity; situations that become further strained by the arrival of new occupants. As war, sectarian violence, and decades of neglect and mismanagement have dealt a crippling blow to Iraq’s infrastructure and the State’s ability to provide services to the average citizen, those living in collec-tive settlements and improvised housing have even less access to basic services, schools, health centers, and waste disposal. Furthermore, the majority of settlements sit on public lands whose occupation by families is illegal, leaving those families vulnerable to eviction by the government at any moment.

In addition to constructing their homes on open public land, fami-lies resorting to improvised shelter also make use of abandoned public buildings. Of IOM’s assessed population, 3% of families were living in former military camps or public buildings, such as closed factories or empty public office buildings. These structures can be dangerous and unsanitary to their occupants and, at the very least, do not have access to basic services.

An IOM assessment in 2010 of 304 families living in 53 public buildings in Kirkuk highlighted the challenges that the many fami-lies in substandard shelter experience daily. Monitors found that those displaced families listed legal help as a priority need, as just 9.5% of the families had registered with local authorities. Others reported a need for PDS access and assistance with property rights transfers. The families in Kirkuk also cited sanitation and health care needs that are common throughout populations in substand-ard shelter.

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S P O T L I G H T O N B A G H D A D

Baghdad is often identified as a location with significant

need for better access to affordable housing as well as

improved living conditions and related services. At least

48,000 families in Baghdad have been identified as living

in settlements with weak or non-existent services.9

In the spring and summer of 2011, IOM monitors identi-

fied 130 settlements occupying 13 public buildings in Al-

Karkh and 36 in Al-Resafa, in addition to improvised

shelters constructed on other public lands. Sewage, pota-

ble water, electricity, and access to health services were

severely needed. Furthermore, some IDPs have reported

spreading crime, robbery, and drug usage throughout the-

se settlements.

Increasing drought and salinity has pushed families from

their farms in rural areas towards the city. Other families

find themselves living in Baghdad’s settlements due to

extreme poverty, joblessness, increasing rental prices, and

a lack affordable housing and shelter support services.

Host community families in Baghdad generally fare slight-

ly better than displaced families in terms of living situa-

tion, but both groups experience difficulties in securing

safe and appropriate housing. 30% of assessed displaced

families and 23% of assessed vulnerable host community

families live in some form of substandard shelter.

9. IOM, IAU, and UN Habitat, Urban Baghdad, 2011. Page 2: http://www.iauiraq.org/documents/1372/Urban%20Baghdad-Impact%20of%

20conflict%20on%20daily%20life-May%2022-Final.pdf

*”Other,” in the context of Baghdad’s surveys, often indicates a substandard form of building material such as mud.

Vulnerable Assessed

IDP Families

Vulnerable Assessed

Host Community

Families

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S P O T L I G H T O N B A G H D A D C O N T I N U E D

A man and his daughter outside their home made of im-provised materials in Al Istiklal neighborhood in

Baghdad.

Housing condition by district in Baghdad of assessed vulnerable families

For a map showing the rate of informal housing amongst vul-

nerable families assessed in Baghdad, see Annex 2.

Baghdad’s districts demonstrate a wide variety of population composition, housing availability, and priority needs. Districts such as Mahmoudiya and Karkh contain assessed populations of which over 50% are living in non-durable housing. Of the 17 communities in Mahmoudiya visited by IOM monitors, 11 are experiencing housing problems to the extent that 50% or more of their residents are living in non-durable housing. Meanwhile, over 80% of assessed families in Abu Ghraib own their homes, compared to less than 1% in Thawra 1. Not sur-prisingly, Thawra 1 also has the highest reported need for housing and Abu Ghraib the lowest.

As is the case throughout Iraq, access to work remains a top priority for families across most of Baghdad. 100% of families in Thawra 1 and over 70% of families in each of 8 other dis-tricts list employment as a top concern. Non Food Items (NFI) similarly rank highly as a priority need as families who are without access to a stable income do not have the re-sources to purchase many household items..

Supporting families in Baghdad

Aid efforts in Baghdad, as in other governorates, must be tailored by district, given the divergent needs of each area. Assessed families in Mada’in largely live in homes that they own, yet still 80% of them rank shelter as a priority need,

reflecting in part the poor durability of homes and need for housing upgrades. In addition to the range of housing con-ditions throughout Baghdad, water, sanitation, and electric-

ity needs are similarly varied, demonstrating the uneven delivery of services throughout the governorate. The high-est electricity need is in Mada’in (23% of assessed families) while the greatest reported need of sanitation and hygiene

is in Karkh (50%).

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S P O T L I G H T O N M I S S A N A N D K E R B A L A

While Baghdad receives much attention for its high num-bers of residents who occupy substandard shelters, other governorates in the country similarly struggle with providing adequate housing to their urban residents. Mis-san and Kerbala have high rates of assessed vulnerable families living in collective settlements, public buildings, and other improvised shelters. IOM monitors found that 66% of assessed families in Missan and 62% of those in Kerbala were living in some form of substandard shelter.

IOM monitors in Missan report that water scarcity has led to a decline in agricultural production that has in turn lowered the incomes of many families. Monitors cite lack of income as the driving force behind high rates of non-durable housing. Field staff also noted that a high num-ber of children do not attend school and instead beg in the streets to help provide for their families. Health prob-lems abound in these settlements.

Kerbala is experiencing high rates of settlements due to similar causes. Monitors in that governorate report very similar conditions to those in Missan, primarily that drought has precipitated migration and further displace-ment to and within the governorate, causing a dramatic upswing in the numbers of families making their homes in settlements of improvised shelters. Monitors in Ker-bala noticed the strain that this population influx is plac-ing on housing, work, and service availability in the gov-ernorate.

Kerbala’s housing breakdown clearly demonstrates the phenomenon of settlements becoming clustered in or around urban areas. The governorate’s main urban dis-trict of the same name sees almost 65% of its assessed population living in improvised housing, compared to 31% and 10% of the assessed fami-lies in the other two districts.

A child in front of his mud home in Missan.

For maps showing the rates of informal housing by district in

Missan and Kerbala, see Annexes 3 and 4.

Assessed families living in substandard

housing in Kerbala

Assessed families living in substandard

housing in Missan

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S P O T L I G H T O N M I S S A N A N D K E R B A L A C O N T I N U E D

Needs in Missan and Kerbala

While shelter as an independent need is only cited by 9% of families in Missan, other needs related to hous-ing, such as water, electricity and sanitation, combine to demonstrate that at least 33% of families in Missan rank shelter related concerns among their priority needs.

Access to work is in higher demand in Qal’at Saleh (80% of families) compared to the capital district of Amara (31%). Water is cited by as many as 46% of fam-ilies in Al-Kahla and as few as 8% in Amara. This spread of needs between urban and rural areas reflects similar trends throughout the country.

Shelter ranks as the third highest priority need of all assessed families in Kerbala, second only to NFIs and food. The majority of the governorate’s housing need is felt in the capital district by the same name, where 57% of assessed families cite it as a priority. The less densely populated district of Al-Hindiya sees 22% of its assessed families listing housing as a priority need.

When the shelter related needs of electricity, sanitation, and water are combined, a further 38% of families throughout the governorate report to being in need.

Below: A home made out of improvised materials in

Kerbala was damaged by storms in 2011.

Supporting families in Missan and Kerbala

While livelihood support and NFIs remain the lead-ing priority needs throughout the governorates, fami-lies report variations in their needs depending on district of residence. The changing needs demon-strate the importance of separate rural and urban approaches to aiding families.

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S U B S T A N D A R D H O U S I N G U P G R A D E S : A L - A N S A F V I L L A G E

Attempts have been made to upgrade housing conditions for families living in substandard shelter and should be continued, taking into consideration the lessons learned from prior projects.

One such project, completed in 2011, involved a collabora-tion with municipal government authorities seeking to im-prove housing conditions in Qadissiya. The newly con-structed units of 49m2 each formed a new village called Al-Ansaf. The village welcomed 300 displaced families who had been living in substandard shelters as residents. Fami-lies whose members did not already own property, were unemployed, or were headed by women or disabled per-sons were given priority in selecting occupants for the units. All beneficiaries signed statements agreeing not to sell or rent out the new home and to abide by all home ownership laws.

Since the village’s construction, organizations have run livelihood training workshops targeted at women, expand-ed the primary school, and, in coordination with MoDM, conducted food and NFI distributions. The government has equipped Al-Ansaf with power lines and transformers.

The new village provided safe and durable shelter to 300 families, but continues to experience a significant lack of access to government services. Residents are dependent on water trucks and report that the availability of potable wa-ter is insufficient. During the summer of 2011, fights broke out between residents over water distribution. The village also lacks paved roads and is situated in a remote location, making access difficult. The only school available to resi-dents has become crowded and only serves students at the primary level.

The experience of Al-Ansaf’s residents highlights the need for better and consistent service delivery as part of a com-prehensive strategy to improve housing conditions. New construction alone will not resolve shelter needs for vul-nerable families, and municipal authorities will need to ex-pand their delivery capacity as new units are planned.

Above and Below: The houses sit closely together, prompting resi-

dents to construct barriers for privacy.

Below: The village’s only school occupies two container build-

ings. Only primary education is offered to the village residents. The village relies on a costly generator for half a day’s worth of

electricity.

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S U P P O R T I N G F A M I L I E S L I V I N G I N S U B S T A N D A R D H O U S I N G

Employment continues to rank highest in priority needs assessments throughout the country. Its pres-ence, along with NFIs and food, at the top of the list of reported needs is not unique to those living in sub-standard housing. These commodities are in high de-mand by vulnerable families throughout Iraq across all spectrums of housing conditions. Families list NFIs, food, and shelter as needs due to their lack of income to purchase these items themselves. Access to employ-ment and a steady income would allow families to be better able to obtain such goods.

While residents of substandard shelter do not rank education very highly as a need, likely because they cope with more pressing needs related to daily surviv-al, IOM monitors found 40% of them to be illiterate, compared with 30% of the entire assessed population. There are lower illiteracy rates among assessed fami-lies living in rented housing or homes that they own. Support for education and efforts towards achieving a lower illiteracy rate would improve skillsets, qualifying more Iraqis to join the labor market.

Similarly, only 5% of families in substandard shelter cite legal help as one of their top priority needs, de-spite the reality that the vast majority of those families are living illegally. Homes located in abandoned pub-lic buildings or former military camps are illegally oc-cupying government lands. Many other informal set-tlements and improvised shelters are most often locat-ed on public land as well. Families residing in such homes are vulnerable to eviction at any moment, should the government wish to repurpose the land.

When evictions happen without planning, families face upheaval and subsequent shelter and livelihood challenges. For many, this move becomes a second or third displacement.

At left: buildings in Baghdad constructed of cinder blocks, wood, and plastic sheeting.

At right: residents of informal shelters in Wassit that lack basic services.

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S P O T L I G H T O N E V I C T I O N S

Families in Missan observe their demol-

ished homes.

Missan

On July 9, 2010, 220 families in al-Muntazah, Missan were given eviction notices. The families in this settle-ment had received similar notices in the past but evic-

tions had never been carried out. 37 of the families were living in an abandoned public building while the rest had constructed improvised shelters on the sur-

rounding government land. Once the families evacuat-ed the property, their homes and the public building

were razed.

The families affected represented a mixture of dis-placed and host community Iraqis, as well as 17

refugee families from Iran.

Babylon

On October 11, 2011 a judicial order was issued to demolish around 100

illegal homes in Hilla district. A dem-olition of 6 of the homes immediate-ly followed, accompanied by demon-strations by the area’s residents who are members of the host community. Further demolitions have been post-poned. The residents report that they received no prior warning that they were to be evicted and received no

government compensation nor assis-tance.

Supporting families during evictions

When an eviction becomes imminent, international organ-izations can assist families in a variety of capacities in both the immediate aftermath of the event as well as over the

long term resettlement process.

In the wake of an eviction, families need immediate assistance with the transportation of their belongings

from the eviction site.

Organizations can help the affected families to identify a new and suitable location to fill their immediate shel-

ter needs. This type of assistance is particularly im-portant for families without relatives nearby.

After an eviction, families may have lost some of their belongings or moved to a temporary location without

provisions and services. Organizations can provide NFIs, hygiene kits, and potable water to families in

such circumstances.

Whether by assisting the government in constructing new homes for the evicted families or by directly help-

ing the families to build their own homes, organiza-tions can contribute to the creation of a permanent

resettlement arrangement.

Ninewa

In December 2011, IOM monitors spoke with 163 dis-placed families in Hay Al Qahira, Mosul who had been living in improvised shelters in a public park for 5 years. They recently received an eviction order from the local

authorities without compensation. There are currently no plans for alternative housing for these families.

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Zain Al-Qaus, Wassit

IOM monitors documented a case of secondary displace-ment experienced by a family in Wassit. Originally dis-

placed to Zain Al-Qaus from Baghdad, the family mem-bers found themselves evicted from their mud house in

2010. They moved to a tent in Al Wafideen (also in Was-sit) where they lived for a year until the government of-fered them 150m2 of land and 1000 concrete blocks for home construction. The family was able to complete a new home, receiving a roof through charitable dona-

tions. Nevertheless, the high cost of the remaining build-ing materials forced them to sell their only cow. All 12 members of the family live in the one room structure.


E V I C T I O N S C O N T I N U E D

When settlements must be moved, a thoughtful and permanent resettlement plan, created in collaboration with the local government, is significantly preferable to outright eviction. IOM monitors observed two cases in which local government officials in Wassit Governorate offered land and other resettlement assistance to families occupying public land. In both situations, the government’s assistance came as welcome support, yet the families still required significant assistance in securing durable housing and appropriate sanitation, water access, and other services. Both cases demonstrate the need for organizations to collaborate with local governments and contribute building supplies, NFIs, generators, and water tanks as complements to the government’s resettlement plan. More recently, the municipal authorities in Baghdad are thought to be working towards a resettlement plan for 10 families evicted from their homes in Alzafaraniya in November 2011.

Al-Hawra, Wassit

On November 5, 2010, electricity was cut off for a community of families living on public land in Al-Hawra, Wassit. They were given a 72-hour eviction notice and, unlike in other evictions, the municipal government provided moving

vans and trucks to transfer their belongings to Al-Wafedeen area. Each family was allotted 150m2 of land, although they were left without access to water, electricity, sanitation, hospitals, and schools. IOM, along with ICRC, UNICEF, and

WFP together supplied NFIs, water tanks, and hygiene kits in the weeks immediately following the move.

The family in their new home built with materials supplied

by the government.

Left and Right:

Newly evicted

families in Was-

sit move their

belongings to a

temporary tent

camp.

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R E N T E D H O U S I N G

Rented housing is not an ideal solution for many displaced families as it is seen only as a stopgap until they can establish a

more permanent living situation, either in their original homes or, for those families who prefer to locally integrate, else-

where in their new locations. Rented housing is often not adequate in quality as well as supply. The Ministry of Construction

and Housing in Iraq estimates that a full 90% of landlords make no investment in maintenance or rehabilitation of their

property.10 As a result, a majority of renter families lives in substandard housing11 that lacks basic services and amenities.12

Furthermore, because displaced families are often forced to flee to locations where housing is scarce, landlords and owners

are able to charge exorbitant prices to rent out their homes.13 In January 2011, an IOM Iraq Special Report detailed just such

a trend regarding the displacement of Christians to northern Iraq. As a result of the influx of new arrivals in search of hous-

ing, rental prices in one town rose 200-300%, leaving many without the option of rented accommodation, or forcing them to

spend their savings.14 Such a spike in rental prices also becomes a burden on members of the host community who are vying

for the same available housing.


Supporting families living in rented housing

As is the case with families across the housing spec-

trum, access to work is the most highly ranked priority

need for families in rented housing. Improved availa-

bility of employment would not only assist families in

paying rental prices, but would also allow them to ob-

tain their other most needed items, food and NFIs.

Given the poor conditions of rented housing and the

lack of upkeep invested by landlords, there is a need

for the government and independent organizations to

provide housing upgrade assistance, either in the form

of materials or funds, distributed to the landlords or

directly to tenant families.

Similarly, the services available to rented units are, in

some cases, as poor as those available to non-durable

shelters. Families living in rented homes often need the

same types of support regarding services, potable wa-

ter, and hygiene as families residing in non-durable

housing. 57% of assessed families living in informal

housing had access to 6 hours of electricity per day or

less. Of assessed renter families, 55% reported the

same availability of electricity.

10Republic of Iraq: Ministry of Construction and Housing, Iraq National

Housing Policy, October 2010. Page 23.

11UNHCR, Shelter Guidelines: Iraq Operation, January 2010.

12UNHABITAT, Iraq Country Programme Document, 2009 -2011.

13UNHCR, Shelter Guidelines: Iraq Operation, January 2010.

14For more information, please read IOM Emergency Needs Assessments,

Displacement of Christians to the North of Iraq, January 31, 2011.

Displacement Status of Assessed

Families Living in Rented Housing

Beneficiary Type Percentage of Renter

Families

Host Community 40%

Displaced 53%

Returnee—Refugee 2%

Returnee—IDP 5%

14

Rates of home ownership among vulnerable families vary sig-

nificantly by governorate and displacement status. Nearly half

of all assessed host community families live in homes that they

own, yet only 20% of assessed displaced families have that

privilege. Achieving home ownership is prohibitively difficult

and costly for Iraq’s vulnerable families due to high costs of

construction materials, few and cumbersome financing and

loan opportunities, as well as a lack of land that is legally avail-

able for residential construction.15 The majority of housing

construction is undertaken privately, requiring large invest-

ments of capital from prospective owners.16

Even families who do own their homes have continuing shel-

ter needs. IOM monitors have encountered a number of fami-

lies living in incomplete or severely damaged homes that they

cannot afford to repair. Furthermore, home ownership does

not guarantee improved access to services. 82% of assessed

families living in homes that they own have 10 hours per day

of electricity or less.

While government ministries carry the authority to address

land transfer law and the expansion and streamlining of the

public sector’s role in the housing market, international organ-

izations can provide complementary support. Families, both

displaced and those among the host community, are in need

of assistance in obtaining building materials for new construc-

tions as well as existing repairs that are much needed.

H O M E O W N E R S H I P


This displaced family in Qadissiya cannot afford to finish

construction on their new home.

This father of 5 in Baghdad cannot afford to repair his

damaged home.

15UNHABITAT, Iraq Country Programme Document, 2009 -2011.

16 Ibid.

15

T H E T E N T E D C A M P

Tents, the classic shelter for the IDP family, are generally used by families that have recently lost their homes to fulfill their immediate shelter needs while they focus on security and what to do next. Families that have been displaced for an extended length of time tend to find or construct other, more permanent shelters. Out of the 21,044 families who were interviewed by IOM by November 2011, just 53 were living in tented camps. These families were scattered throughout Anbar, Najaf, Bagh-dad, Muthanna, Ninewa, Diyala, and Salah al-Din governorates.

The number of families living in tents increased during the period from July to October 2011 when new displacements oc-curred due to military activities along the borders of Iran and Turkey. IOM identified and distributed NFIs to175 families in Gojar camp and 106 in Prdi Manguraiaty. The majority of these families were members of the host community in Sulaymani-yah. There were extensive immediate needs reported in these camps, ranging from water and electricity services, to first aid training and supplies, to continued education. The families returned in the fall shortly before the onset of winter.

In addition to the lack of sanitation, water, and services in the makeshift camps, as well as the lack of supplies due to the hasty evacuation of their homes, the families living in tents in the northern governorates during summer and fall 2011 en-dured a prolonged and unstable security situation. Shelling continued off and on in the region, with Iranian jets passing over Gojar camp on September 14 while IOM field staff were conducting an assessment.

Children living in the camps saw their studies disrupted. With the support of international organizations, some continued with classes in makeshift locations while others were unable to attend school.


Children in Gojar Camp spent more than a month attending classes in tents.

Supporting families living in tents:

When tent camps become occupied, IOM monitors recommend rap-

id distributions of items of pressing need, such as water and portable

stoves, followed by regular visits to document the security situations

of the concerned families and to plan new distributions and support

accordingly. Monitors further recommend specific attention be paid

to the number and ages of children in the tent camp so that every

effort can be made to provide options for education continuity.

The displaced families in northern Iraq clustered in locations such as Gojar camp that were safer than their homes, but devoid of services.

16

S H E L T E R A N D D I S P L A C E M E N T


Armed conflict, threats, and other violence have caused the vast majority of displacements in Iraq since 2006, although a variety of other causes, in-cluding drought and lack of services, have been re-ported to IOM monitors. Housing troubles, cited as a lack of shelter or eviction from public land, were the direct cause of displacement for 3% of IOM’s assessed displaced families. When combined with lack of Wat/San and electricity, shelter related prob-lems are cited by 5% of assessed IDP families as one of their reasons for displacement. Shelter woes con-tribute to prolonged displacement as well, with 45% of assessed displaced families citing either destroyed property or lack of access to property in their places of origin as among their reasons for being unable to return home.

Due to the protracted length of time that many families have been displaced, the majority of IDP families now intend to re-main in their current locations and integrate into the existing community. About 84% of assessed displaced families intend to locally integrate, with just 5% planning to return, 1% looking to resettle to a third location, and 10% waiting to decide. The desire to locally integrate consistently ranks highly across families living in all types of housing. Displaced families in all 18 governorates largely plan to remain permanently in their new locations, and this population will need to be accommodated by each governorate’s housing market.

17

A N N E X 1


Distribution of housing conditions of assessed IDP families

Distribution of housing conditions of all assessed families

18

A N N E X 2


The following maps represent information collected by both the Iraq Knowledge Network (IKN) as well as IOM field monitors. The shading in each district indicates the percentage of families living in non-durable houses as determined in the IKN country-wide survey. The pins indicate vulnerable communities that have been visited and assessed by IOM monitors who, in coordination with local authorities, determine the percentage of families in that community who live in substandard housing.

B A G H D A D — F A M I L I E S L I V I N G I N S U B S T A N D A R D H O U S I N G N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 - F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 1 *

19

A N N E X 3


K E R B A L A — F A M I L I E S L I V I N G I N S U B S T A N D A R D H O U S I N G N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 - F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 1 *

20

A N N E X 4


M I S S A N — F A M I L I E S L I V I N G I N S U B S T A N D A R D H O U S I N G N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 - F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 1 *

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IOM IRAQ SPECIAL REPORT - ReliefWeb · 2012. 6. 15. · Van der Auweraert, Peter. Land and Property...

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