Bolted Braced and Built - The History of Partner Housing Australasia – 2005 to 2015

“Bolted Braced and Built”

The History of Partner Housing Australasia – 2005 to 2015

 “..... Visited clinic site with ICRC [International Committee of Red Cross].  Substantial clearing (by hand) already undertaken by villagers following marking out of the clinic by Kelly (Vision for Homes) a month earlier.   Whilst on site, Kelly explained to villagers the need for a solid base for the clinic foundations and marked out an additional area to be cleared above the existing cleared ground.  Site to contain clinic (to be built by Vision for Homes) plus three staff houses and ‘resting house’ for expectant/delivered mothers (to be built by villagers under guidance of ICRC).  

Travel time is approximately 6 hours from Mt Hagen.  Road from Lalabo (District centre) is unsealed and from Kagua to Kalolo rough but solid, and reported to provide all weather access.  Southern Highlands Provincial hospital in Mendi (Provincial capital) will provide trucks to transport materials from Mt Hagen to Kalolo 2-3 times per week .....” [1]

A decade ago and 4,000 km to the south, events were unfolding that would lead directly down the “rough road” to this Papua New Guinea clinic construction program.

15 November 2004 – The Board of Habitat for Humanity Western Sydney Inc. passed a resolution initiating negotiations “ …. to derive a mutually suitable HFHA Constitution and Affiliate Agreement. These documents should be presented to the February HFHWS Board meeting for discussion and modification or adoption.”

While the background to this extraordinary resolution is complicated, it can be simplified as follows.[2] Habitat for Humanity is a large international NGO with an unshakeable world-wide reputation for its excellent work in providing affordable housing for the poor. Two affiliates, HFH Western Sydney and HFH Macarthur, had successfully built affordable houses in Sydney for many years, but national and international organizational changes, were fuelling grass-roots dissatisfaction with the direction of change. Despite protracted negotiations conducted with good intentions by all parties, the Habitat for Humanity Australia board meeting of 28 February 2005 failed to reach a compromise with the two affiliates.

23 March 2005 – HFH Western Sydney and HFH Macarthur disaffiliated from Habitat for Humanity Australia on 23 March 2005, and Partner Housing [3] [4] [5] [6] was borne.

The disaffiliation, while not the preferred option of any of the parties, was conducted with dignity and mutual respect, thus creating an environment in which Partner Housing could assist Habitat for Humanity in several international and local projects during the ensuring years.

This is the story of the ten year journey of Partner Housing, and its development as an influential and effective volunteer-based international NGO.

At the dawn of this era, Partner Housing recognized that financing further building in Australia would be extremely difficult, given the associated high costs, high housing aspirations and limited financial resources. This provided the catalyst for the change in direction to overseas work.

The newly invigorated Partner Housing moved unequivocally to return to being a fully volunteer organisation, where all activities would be carried out by volunteers and consultants providing services on a strictly pro-bono basis.[7]

The organisation adopted some other important principles:

·         NO donations received for overseas projects would be spent on Australian overheads or international travel by managers or volunteers. ...... ALL donations made for overseas projects would be spent only on in-country labor, materials and supervision by local supervisors...... Australian overheads and international travel would be funded from other existing reserves.

·         All Australian managers and consultants are volunteers, and do not receive payment for the many hours that they devote to this work. Where appropriate, the organisation will refund (from other existing reserves) the direct costs of international travel, although several volunteers choose to travel at their own expense.

·         As a result, the project overheads are only 5% of the project costs and are funded from existing reserves.

The organisation also opted for Board stability, rather than the previous policy of regular rotation of directors. The Board, with an average membership ranging between seven and eleven during this period, has been blessed with the services of eighteen experienced engineers, architects, builders, trainers and administrators. Most have served for over four years and some for the whole ten years. [8] This ensured continuity of focus and direction over the decade.

Partner Housing distinguishes clearly between the governance role of the Board and the operational activities of the volunteer professionals. However, we believe that the Board should be volunteers, collectively committed to and experienced in the services that the organisation provides. For this reason, each Board member also undertakes one or more of the voluntary operational or administration roles.[9]

Since most of the following narrative focuses on the operational aspects of Partner Housing activities, it is appropriate at this point to acknowledge the significant contributions made by the volunteers who have served as Secretary, Treasurer, Project Administrator, Nurture Manager and Property Manager. Without their generous support, the organisation would not have been able to undertake the extensive projects described in this pages. We also acknowledge the generosity of the organisations that have provided pro-bono legal services, auditing services, goods in-kind and donations.  

September and December 2005 – The first opportunity to work again with Habitat for Humanity came in late 2005. On 26th December 2004, a major earthquake and tsunami devastated the countries bordering the north-eastern Indian Ocean. Over 223,000 people perished, over 600,000 homes were destroyed and approximately1.8 million people were displaced.

Habitat for Humanity International (Asia-Pacific) undertook major house reconstruction programs, and asked Partner Housing to carry out a review of construction and management practices as the project progressed. In two trips, Partner Housing’s President and our Licensed Building Supervisor visited Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India to carry out technical and management audits on behalf of HFHI. This was our first overseas venture  ...... or perhaps more correctly called “adventure”.

      

         

In Aceh (Indonesia), the most devastated area, a lull in the GAM secessionist violence had enabled the reconstruction to proceed. The scene was chilling – hundreds of hectares of complete devastation, huge barges lifted and pushed several kilometers inland and damage 30 metres up some buildings – total annihilation of all in the tsunami’s path.

In eastern Sri Lanka, the on-going military activity of Tamil Tiger separatists demanded an extra element of caution. It was hard to ignore presence of dozens of army watchtowers that lined the road (for good reason) between the relatively safe havens of Trincomalee and Baticaloa.

India and Thailand also suffered considerable damage, but fortunately without the security issues.

A striking feature of this project was that there were four completely different building solutions to the same problem in the four countries. This observation was to greatly influence the later technical manuals and training material produced by Partner Housing, and our efforts to bring a rational approach to housing design.[10]     

February 2006 – Partner Housing also had on-going commitments to build and finance two more interest-free houses in Cambridge Park. The organisation is blessed with many volunteers, keen to help with local construction. While it is not appropriate to single out individuals, the effort of our volunteer Licensed Building Supervisor is both acknowledged and appreciated. The contribution of the building team from our sister organisation, Partner Housing Charity, was also greatly appreciated. Being a strata-titled site presented a new set of challenges, but these were overcome; and in December 2006 the two houses were dedicated and the families took possession.[11] 

    

March 2005 – March 2015 – During this ten year period, the volunteers of Partner Housing Charity (based in the Macarthur region) worked hard on fund-raising, design and construction of three interest-free houses in Sydney’s southwest, additional to the four that they had previously constructed.

Partner Housing Australia (Building) Incorporated was happy to reciprocate the generous support that Partner Housing Charity had provided on the Cambridge Park projects. One particularly useful service was the structural inspection and certification provided by the Partner Housing Vice President.   

This on-going cooperation finally blossomed in 2014-2015 to facilitate the eventual merging of the two organisations.

February 2006 – Previous to disaffiliation, the organisation had employed a part-time paid office administrator, consistent with the emerging Habitat model. Under the new financial stringency, and consistent with our “volunteer only” policy, it became apparent that the organisation could no longer sustain such a paid position. Despite concerted efforts to effect an amicable severance, the organisation found itself before the NSW Industrial Commission to settle and unfair dismissal claim – the commission ruled in favour of the arrangements proposed by Partner Housing. Even the operation of a charitable organisation has pit-falls.

November 2005 – December 2006 – Cooperation with Habitat for Humanity, both domestically and internationally, has always been a high priority for Partner Housing. During 2006, we provided technical and administrative support for the construction of an HFHA house at St Helens Park in Sydney’s south-west.

July 2012 – As part of this on-going cooperation, the Vice President travelled to Narrabri to inspect an report on a Habitat for Humanity house that had been relocated there.

July 2006 to June 2008 – Partner Housing relies heavily on the contacts made by volunteers in the course of their normal business activities.

One of our volunteer Structural Engineers had previously worked for the Kiribati government. When approached, she was able to provide on a pro-bono basis (working through one of our volunteer consulting firms) designs for a large standard copra storage shed.

During a previous commercial consulting assignment, the Partner Housing President had provided professional advice on the new Tabiteau North (Kiribati) remote-island hospital, which was being constructed by a foreign-government aid agency. When there were on-going problems associated with the sewage outfall crossing a sensitive reef area, Partner Housing was able to provide further advice to the government on a pro-bono basis.

Other pro-bono assignments followed, including advice on fit-out of a government office, and organizing for a major consulting firm to provide pro-bono designs for the Butoa Bridge on Tarawa.

These pro-bono Kiribati projects confirmed that an organisation like Partner Housing can have a significant impact assisting the smaller governments of the South Pacific.

  

June 2007 – Again nature intervened – this time an earthquake and tsunami on 2 April 2007near the island of Simbo in the Solomon Islands Western Province. While not to the scale of the SE Asian tsunami, there was a death toll of 52 and significant damage to more than 6,000 houses – many on the neighboring islands of Ranongga and Gizo. Australian NGOs sprang into action. The Partner Housing President travelled to Gizo, Ranongga and Simbo to prepare a relief plan for parts of Gizo on behalf of Habitat for Humanity. The work was subsequently executed successfully by HFH.

   

Notwithstanding the very real benefit accruing to the people of Gizo, this exercise also fostered a close working relationship with the local ex-pat representatives of Emergency Architects Australia and World Vision. In time, both would join Partner Housing - one as a Director and Solomon Islands Regional Manger, and the other has our Healthcare Consultant.

    

This three-way cooperation has provided the lynch-pin for future Partner Housing projects in Solomon Islands.

June 2009 to June 2013 – In 2009, Emergency Architects Australia approached Partner Housing to join them in funding and providing technical assistance for the on-going construction of pit latrines in four villages on Ranongga (Solomon Islands). The partnership with EAA proved highly successful, so much so that when EAA finally succumbed to financial pressures and was wound up, Partner Housing took over the latrine construction and other EAA programs.

In all, approximately 120 VIP pit latrines were constructed by local carpenters using Partner Housing and EAA funding, coordination and inspection. ........ Imagine the personal sacrifice of the volunteer who inspected in detail the in-service performance of 87 pit latrines !!!!

The Solomon Islands Regional Manager made many site trips during the four year duration to establish and execute this program, while the Ranongga Project Manager inspected progress (with EAA) in February 2011 and the President did likewise in October 2012.

It was during this second visit that Partner Housing President and the Regional Manager worked with the community of Obobulu to establish the South Ranongga Community Association and the villages of Buri and Keigold to form the North Ranongga Community Association. These two organisations would henceforth function as our local partners for the planned on-going sanitation and water projects.

2005 to 2009 – By mid 2009, the Partner Housing Professional Services had gained momentum, providing design assistance to other NGO and one Pacific island government. In addition to the work related to the two tsunamis, Partner Housing had provided designs for houses, schools and storage buildings in Timor Leste, Pakistan, India, Mongolia, Solomon Islands and Kiribati.[12] 

September 2009 – The success of the funding/design/construction latrine construction in Ranongga and the successful execution of the various Professional Services assignments provided the organisation with the confidence to promote these services to the wider world of the international NGOs. The opportunity came in September 2009, when the President presented a paper to the “2nd Asia-Pacific Housing Forum” in Manila, Philippines, highlighting Partner Housing’s unique skill set and service. The published abstract read:

Most large NGOs rarely possess the specialized skills associated with specific engineering and architectural investigation and design, which must be provided properly qualified and experienced practicing professionals. This paper describes how building professionals (engineers, architects and builders) across the Asia-Pacific region can provide coordinated pro-bono professional services to major NGOs involved in “disaster reconstruction, “disaster mitigation” and “save and build” programs. The same service can also be provided to the governments of smaller countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

As a result of networking opportunities afforded by the conference, two important partner relationships were forged –

·         Habitat for Humanity asked Partner Housing to assist in completing projects in Papua New Guinea, leading indirectly to our long-term relationship with Vision for Homes (PNG); and

·         Cook Islands Red Cross (and Australian Red Cross) entered into an arrangement with Partner Housing to provide enhanced cyclone resistance of houses on some of the remote islands. 

December 2009 – Governance difficulties and poor construction in Papua New Guinea led Habitat for Humanity to disband its several affiliates throughout the country; but this raised difficulties concerning unfinished work. The Partner Housing President travelled to Lae, and then by local mini-bus up the Markham Valley to Kainantu in the Eastern Highlands, to determine whether there were opportunities for the organisation to assist.

      

Although we did not finally carry out work in Lae or Eastern Highlands, there were two very important developments.  A close working relationship formed with the HFHA consultant, who subsequently joined the Partner Housing Board as a Director and PNG Regional Manager. This, in turn, led to contact with Vision for Homes, a Mount Hagen based housing NGO that would become our longest established building partner.

October 2010 – Color, music and movement – the Mt Hagen highland dance welcome for the President and the PNG Regional Manager was stunning, and provided an enthusiastic prelude for the exciting, vibrant and productive relationship that would blossom between Vision for Homes[13] and Partner Housing.

    

The PNG Regional Manager had worked hard to establish the Vision for Homes contact, and the purpose of this 2010 visit was to cement the relationship and develop a working strategy. Three remote villages were visited, where Vision for Homes was actively constructing houses. We also took the opportunity to assist in governance issues, provide a Policies and Procedures manual, audit the operations and plan significant funding.

  

April 2011, April 2012 and April 2014 – PNG Project Manager visits Mt Hagen

February 2013 – President visits Mt Hagen

September 2013, February 2015 and other occasions – PNG Regional Manager visits Mt Hagen

The Vision for Homes operations continue to go from strength to strength, due in large measure to the professionalism and integrity of their Board and Manager; but also due to the significant on-going financial, technical and governance support from Partner Housing.

Each year a Partner Housing Project Manager (or sometimes the President) visits Mt Hagen, to perform auditing, mentoring and training roles. Other assistance includes advice on various initiatives including prefabrication and concrete block manufacture.  While each trip presents its challenges (visa difficulties, transport issues and security concerns), the persistence has been rewarded by the track record - Over the course of the five year partnership Vision for Homes has developed into a respected builder, completing (with Partner Housing auditing, mentoring and training assistance) 12 private  houses, 3 school houses, 2 school buildings (each 2 class rooms plus office)  and trade training courses for local building industry trainees...... but more of that later.

In 2015, Vision for Homes is poised to commence construction of a remote-area clinics for the International Committee of Red Cross, as part of a tripartite arrangement that includes Partner Housing in the building design role.

The Partner Housing Regional Manager frequently visits Vision for Homes as part of her on-going commitment to building and Healthcare activities in the PNG highlands; and the stunning success of this partnership is a tribute to her vision and commitment.

 

February 2010 – Again the vulnerability of the South-West Pacific housing stock to cyclonic wind, earthquake and tsunami was highlighted when tropical Cyclone Pat struck Aitutaki in the Cook Islands damaging 277 houses, of which 72 were completely destroyed. Emergency Architects Australia, now well-established as our working partner, provided architectural designs for the reconstruction, and Partner Housing played its part by providing the complementary structural designs.

May 2011 and March 2012 – Cyclone Pat heightened awareness in the Cook Islands of the dangers associated with cyclones. Coincidentally, lengthy discussions with Australian Red Cross and Cook Islands Red Cross culminated in a tripartite arrangement in which Partner Housing undertook to fund and design remedial works to make houses more cyclone resistant.

The President made two trips to Cook Islands (Rarotonga and Mangaia) to establish and monitor a program of installing steel anchors in concrete footings, such that roof tie ropes can be installed at the commencement of each cyclone season. In all, our partner (Cook Islands Red Cross) installed anchors for 138 houses on Mangaia and 55 houses on Mitiaro.

It is relatively easy to install steel anchors in concrete footings – but home owners, installers and NGOs are not so easily convinced of their efficacy. What was required was a simple site test that could determine the “pull out” loads of such anchors.

Mangaia has a maximum population of only 700 people, and not many resources. However, the local Public Works depot was able to assist by fabricating part of an old truck chassis into a “testing machine”, which could be loaded by a number of cement bags of known weight. The installers were able to test a sample of their newly installed anchors, together with some installed previously by others. The results were illuminating. A properly constructed standard anchor could easily resist 1.5 tonnes (15 kN), but some of the previously installed anchors failed at a fraction of that load.

Standard designs for anchors were subsequently verified by calculation, and are now part of the Partner Housing Building Skills training manual. The “testing machine” design has been refined, and is now part of our standard training equipment.

      

An independent RMIT[14] study into the Mangaia anchorage program included the following summary:

·         The system of roof anchoring introduced in the [Partner Housing] project provided better resilience to cyclones, addressing a key vulnerable part of the house.

·         Although the whole structure was not strengthened and only a part of the roof was made secure, it still improved the resilience of houses to some extent.

·         Reliance on imported materials might affect sustainability and long-term resilience.

May 2012 – The success of the Emergency Architect / Partner Housing cooperation in Ranongga (Solomon Islands) and Aitutaki (Cook Islands) stimulated Partner Housing’s offer to fund a volunteer Civil Engineer to join the EAA team constructing water harvesting spring boxes in an extremely remote Papua New Guinea village of East Arwin. This was our first venture into remote area water supply, and provided the confidence to undertake future larger water programs in the Solomon Islands. 

July 2012 –Notwithstanding the very successful focus in international work, Partner Housing continues to assist Australian NGOs. As part of the on-going cooperation between Partner Housing and Habitat for Humanity Australia, the Vice President travelled to Narrabri (NSW) to inspect and report on an HFHA house that had been relocated there.

April and May 2013 – Unfinished infrastructure and poor maintenance plague water services in Asia-Pacific rural villages. The villages of northern Ranongga (Solomon Islands) are not immune to this problem.

Buri village, with a population over 400, living in over 60 houses, has a few very small weirs and standpipes, but nowhere near enough to service the village. A previous project, funded by the Japanese Embassy, provided a partly built dam, trunk pipeline and one standpipe. Although several other standpipes were planned, they were not installed; and the village remained critically short of water.

The residents of Buri requested Partner Housing to complete the reticulation phase of the previous scheme. This phase involved the supply and installation of six tanks, six standpipes and 2 km of pipelines. Partner Housing volunteers made three trips - the first by the President to set out the scheme and commence construction, the second by the Solomons Project Manager and the Water Projects Manager to carry out the bulk of the construction, and the third by the Vice President to audit and plan the next phase.           

February 2014 and August 2014

The two-hour dug-out canoe trip from the regional capital, Gizo, to the remote island of Ranongga is usually an idyllic cruise across crystal clear tropical waters – but sometimes the Pacific turns ugly and the waves add considerable drama.  But rough seas, rain, rain and more rain, flood damage, pit toilets, heat and occasional injury cannot dampen the enthusiasm of the Partner Housing volunteers.

         

In February 2014, the Solomons Project Manager and Water Projects Manager travelled again to Buri and Keigold to repair flood damage and to design the Keigold water augmentation scheme.                                       

This was followed up in August 2014 by the Water Projects Manager and a volunteer, who, working with a team of locals, improved the Buri water intake and, at Keigold, constructed a new intake, pipelines and standpipes, and repaired two tanks.

Maintenance is critical to the effectiveness of water infrastructure. An important innovation at this time was the Partner Housing funding, appointment and training of a part-time local water maintenance foreman.

February 2014 – Not all initiatives result in projects, but there is always learning experience .....

 On 11 January 2014, Ha’apai in Tonga was the scene of yet another devastating cyclone. The Partner Housing President made a quick trip to Ha’apai, and then to Nuku’alofa for discussion with the Deputy Prime Minister. Despite an initial favourable response to our offer of assistance, the project did not proceed.

However, there were some positives.

·         This emergency provided the catalyst for our development of the “Basic Shelter”, which would be deployed a few months later in the Philippines. 

·         It was also the commencement of dialogue with the James Cook University Cyclone Testing Station.

·         Initial contact was made with the Tuvalu Director of Building, to whom we subsequently provided building regulation assistance.

January to June 2014 – …. and some initiatives gain traction …..  

On 8 November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda) roared across the central Philippines, wreaking havoc in its wake.  In Tacloban, thousands were killed and or left homeless. The small island of Gibitngil was spared the worst, but 176 of Gibitngil Island’s 396 houses were either destroyed or substantially damaged. These were squatter houses, without land tenure, and mostly built in a most rudimentary fashion – unable to withstand the onslaught of the strongest tropical cyclone on record.

Shortly after the tragedy, the Save Gibitngil Island Association (a Canberra-based organisation with close ties to Gibitngil) approached Partner Housing for assistance.

Partner Housing moved quickly, assisting two experienced volunteers (the Solomons Regional Manger and the Healthcare Consultant) to travel to Gibitngil, carry out an assessment and prepare recommendations for a reconstruction program.

At this time, Partner Housing also stepped forward to provide pro-bono engineering and architectural assistance to World Vision for their reconstruction program in Tacloban.

….. till eventually the accumulated experiences converge to result in a successful project     

Other NGOs are reconstructing houses the cyclone-devastated central Philippines – but there is always a concern that these will be as under-designed and as unsafe as their predecessors. Bad building practice dies hard ! Partner Housing’s raison d’être is the improvement of the structural reliability of the housing stock, such that it can resist cyclonic wind, earthquakes or tsunamis as appropriate.

In partnership with the Save Gibitngil Island Association, we have commenced a program of constructing 3.0 m x 3.0 m “Basic Shelters”, which serve as both transition houses and as the “very strong” core of larger permanent houses. Partner Housing has budgeted $ 70,000, supplemented by $ 10,000 raised by SGIA. The initial program of eight “Basic Shelters” is complete and an on-going program is planned.

November 2011 – A private visit to Laos by four of the Partner Housing members led to an agreement with ARDA (Anglican Relief & Development Agency) to provide building skills training material, as this is further developed for other programs.

October 2012 and April 2013 – Since Partner Housing’s inception, pro-bono professional services have been fundamental to our activities.

As part of our partnership with Vision for Homes, Partner Housing continues to provide ancillary services such as auditing and specialist advice on building component manufacture, including activities in “timber truss and frame prefabrication”, and “concrete block manufacture”.

In addition to our water and sanitation construction in Ranongga (Solomon Islands), Partner Housing provided architectural and engineering design for the new Buri Community Centre.

Our first assignment for the Don Bosco Technical Institute in Honiara (Solomon Islands) was the design of a staff house. Next, Partner Housing arranged for a major Sydney consulting firm to carry out a pro-bono structural assessment of the earthquake resistance of a water tower at the institute. In the longer term, Partner Housing has undertaken to provide building skills training material, similar to our arrangement with ARDA.

      

July 2013 to December 2014 – As Partner Housing’s reputation as a reliable building NGO spread, so too did the variety of organisations with which we could partner. Livingstone School in Parbatipur (Bangladesh) was established to educate the poorest children in the neighboring community. 180 nursery to year 5 children (in ten classes) were crammed into just four classrooms, with further over-crowding in the administrative and eating areas.

Partner Housing provided partial funding and technical support for the construction of a three classroom and a women’s refuge, while assisting other donors to contribute. In the longer term, we are also working with Livingstone School to develop a building trade training module, to be introduced as the ages of the students increase.

 

2012 to 2015 – Under-designed village housing and infrastructure, born of a lack of understanding of cyclonic wind, earthquake and/or tsunami loads, is at the core of catastrophic devastation during extreme weather events. While most NGOs are skilled at fund-raising and deployment of emergency relief resources, they often lack the design experience necessary to construct (or re-construct) safe and economical houses and other structures.

Throughout the decade, the aim of Partner Housing has been to elevate the quality of village housing and infrastructure and achieve a sensible balance between safety and economy. This is facilitated by servicing larger NGOs with sound engineering and architectural advice.

One forum providing a vehicle for this service is the Shelter Reference Group, where we can interact with the other NGOs. Our Shelter Reference Group representative is the Professional Services Manager, and his participation has resulted in a number of projects.

The Partner Housing President presented a paper “Resilience of Shelter - Minimum Structural Design for Cyclonic Wind, Earthquake and Tsunami Resistance” to the 2013 Shelter Reference Group Annual Conference.

This, in turn, led to the preparation of a 100 page engineering manual, “Structural Resilience Policy and Details for Designing Village Housing and Infrastructure in the South-Pacific for Wind, Earthquake and Tsunami”, for use by design engineers. This manual is freely available to NGOs and their consultants on www.PartnerHousing.org .

Teaching aids and design details, prepared for our Building Skills Training program, are also available for use by other NGOs and training institutions.

    

2010 to 2015 – Flowing from the Partner Housing participation in the Shelter Reference Group, the Professional Services Manager is coordinating an application for membership of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID). This is the peak council for Australian not-for-profit aid and development organisations, working to attain a world where gross inequality and extreme poverty are eradicated.  Once achieved, membership will assist Partner Housing aspirations for closer cooperation with the other major NGOs.  

2015 >>>>>>

As we approach our second decade, Partner Housing is embarking on an ambitious program to promote safe housing and village infrastructure throughout the southern Asia-Pacific region.

In particular, Partner Housing will [15][16] [17] –

·         Enhance the current Building Skills Training Packages, making these generally available to a wider range of training institutions;

·         Develop refined building regulations (including rationalized cyclonic wind, earthquake and tsunami loads) and standard building details; and make these available to the governments of South Pacific countries;

·         Encourage and assist Vision for Homes to expand their current building services to include supply of prefabricated building frames and enhanced building industry training;

·         Assist the merger of North Ranongga Community Association with the South Ranongga Association, and expand their current sanitation construction, water supply construction and maintenance projects in the Solomon Islands;

·         Fund and supervise the balance of the Save Gibitngil Island Association program of constructing Basic Shelters in the Philippines.

Just eighty years ago (a mere three generations), the New Guinea highlanders were completely unaware of the existence of people outside their own locality. Today, cooperation between Vision for Homes and Partner Housing is assisting the New Guinea highlanders, not only with the provision of housing, schools and clinics, but also in providing building skills training that will help them to improve their own infrastructure.

It is difficult to accurately estimate the influence of the Partner Housing’s program. We are a small NGO consisting of a few very dedicated and highly-professional volunteers, clearly focussed on improving the living standards of our neighbours through programs targeted at enhanced building design and construction practices.

Perhaps Partner Housing’s effectiveness is best summed up in the PNG Area Manager’s report on the ICRC clinics project, quoted at the beginning of this article. The report continues –

“…. If prefabrication is to be undertaken in Mt Hagen, then Kelly [Vision for Homes Manager] will require a technically skilled member of PHAB [Partner Housing] to assist in establishing this………… Without on-the-ground support from PHAB [Partner Housing], Kelly [is] not confident to initiate prefabrication on such a strategically important project.”

---

[1] This is an extract from a February 2015 report by the Partner Housing PNG Area Manager on progress on the remote-area clinic in the PNG Southern Highlands, to be constructed under a tripartite arrangement between International Committee of Red Cross, Vision for Homes and Partner Housing.

[2] A more detailed explanation of the context and background is set out in “Presentation to the Partner Housing Board in July 2005”.

[3] Partner Housing Australasia (Building) Incorporated is the name adopted by the former Habitat for Humanity Western Sydney Inc. It is also referred to sometimes as “PHAB”.

[4] Partner Housing Charity, and formerly Partner Housing Australasia (Regional) Incorporated, is the name adopted by the former Habitat for Humanity Macarthur Inc.

[5] This narrative focuses principally on the evolution of the overseas activities of Partner Housing Australasia (Building) Incorporated from 2005 to 2015. For convenience, the term “Partner Housing” is used to describe it during this period. In adopting this convention, no disrespect of the sister organisation, Partner Housing Charity, is intended.

[6] From the beginning, Partner Housing Australia (Building) Incorporated and Partner Housing Charity cooperated closely while each pursued its own goals, aspiring to merge at an appropriate time.This merger will finally be executed in 2015, when the assets of Partner Housing Charity are acquired by Partner Housing Australia (Building) Incorporated. As part of the merger, PHAB undertook to work closely with the former PHC membership to complete the building of PHC House No 7 at Tahmoor.

Since March 2005, Partner Housing Charity has built three houses in the Campbelltown and Tahmoor regions, providing interest-free loans to the three beneficiary families. This was in addition to four built and financed previously. The efforts and achievement of the members of PHC are acknowledged and celebrated.

[7] See “Partner Housing Members, Directors, Volunteers, Consultants and Donors”.

[8]  See Partner Housing Members, Directors, Volunteers, Consultants and Donors”.

[9] See Partner Housing Members, Directors, Volunteers, Consultants and Donors”.

[10] For complete reports, refer to Design and Construction Assessment Tsunami Reconstruction Housing Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka & India and Construction Management Audit and Peer Review Tsunami Reconstruction Housing Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka & India.

[11] Due to delays with the engineering works and title transfer, the initial period of occupation was on a rental basis, with the rental payments being credited against the outstanding interest-free mortgages.

[12] See “Partner Housing Professional Services Projects”.

[13] Like Partner Housing, Vision for Homes is a former Habitat for Humanity affiliate. In the period 2005 to 2010, the organisation had build 20 affordable houses in the Mount Hagen district and provided building skills training to approximately 40 people.

[14]  Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

[15] This process will be assisted by –

·         The merger of Partner Housing Charity into an expanded organisation with a combined asset base in excess of $ 1 million;

·         Modest fund-raising programs, based on:

o     Sales of Continuing Professional Development  Training Packages; and

o    Encouraging Australian building industry businesses to partner directly with our international partner organizations in PNG and Solomon Islands.

[16] Partner Housing will continue to administer the eight existing Australian mortgages of the combined organisation, and provide nurture and assistance to the partner families when required.

[17] See also “Partner Housing Building Projects”.