Advocacy

To ensure access to land and adequate housing, Habitat works in Honduras with partners from different sectors to promote public policies designed to increase the volume and availability of resources for social housing projects. One of the results of this collaboration is the National Law on Housing and Human Settlements, which budgeted resources for municipal entities to support the construction and improvement of social housing units. It helped make land available for projects, along with in-kind materials and construction of public service systems in new social housing developments.

This law grew out of a close collaboration among government officials; Habitat Honduras; and partner organizations such as the Network of Solidarity Housing Development Organizations, or REDVISOL; the Institute for Cooperation and Development; the Mennonite Social Action Commission; the San Alonzo Rodríguez Foundation; and the Commonwealths of Municipalities.

As of 2021, 246 of Honduras’ 298 municipalities have an approved municipal housing policy. Municipalities has mobilized more than US$108 million for social housing, impacting more than 700,000 people. Since then, Habitat Honduras has committed to working with every municipality to bring those benefits to the country’s entire population.

Habitat Honduras has had an impact beyond policies by empowering local communities to better understand their rights, the different ways of accessing government programs, and how to interact more effectively with local governments. This advocacy strategy strengthens the capacity of local partner organizations to lead and expand the methodology in municipalities where Habitat does not have a physical presence.