Relocalisation des déplacés suite au passage du cyclone Matthew : Ena et ses enfants nous accueillent dans leur nouveau foyer

The Rent Subsidy program gives Hurricane Matthew victims a fresh start. In Dame Marie, in the department of Grande-Anse, Ena and her children welcome us to their new home.

Dame Marie, June 14, 2017, Pierre 14 years old, Lovedaica 10 years old and Divins 8 years old are playing on the terrace of a small colorful house located on the main road along the sea. Ena, their mother, is waiting for us on the doorstep. “Welcome to our new home,” she greeted us happily. The house is composed of a space with kitchen, a bedroom and a latrine.

Ena and her family are beneficiaries of the 'Cash for Rent' program - cash to rent a house. She will receive a stamp of 16,000 gourdes divided into three payment installments including the subsidy for rent, a transport cost and an incentive which will be used to start an income-generating activity. The last installment debt payment will depend on finding the household still living in the house during surprise visits once relocated.

Restart in the community

“Based on our socio-economic studies [1] and our experience, the 'rent subsidy' option for a small house was the best solution to help Matthew's victims. Relocation aims to support families in a vulnerable situation. We help them to return home or to reintegrate into the community with a decent housing option, ”says Marguerite Jean, CCCM project officer at IOM in charge of the relocation project.

Nine months ago, Ena lost her home and business during Hurricane Matthew. She lived with her children in a collective center for displaced persons at the Lycée Semerzier. It was there that she met officers from the IOM, the International Organization for Migration, during an awareness campaign for displaced people.

These agents proposed to him to become a beneficiary of the "IOM return project" which offers the subsidy for rent for one year. Relocation is a voluntary process, when a family agrees to be part of the project, it has to go through various stages.

Jackson Séjourné, IOM project assistant visits Ena and her family © IOM / Julie Harlet 2017. “The first step is awareness raising, it is to explain the project itself and why it is important to opt for the relocation. Next comes the training stage. With a view to resilience, people are encouraged to establish their first contacts with the owner of their future home, to understand and apply their responsibilities, rights and duties as future tenants, ”continues Marguerite Jean.

When the beneficiary has chosen a house, we proceed to the next phase, registration. It integrates the IOM database. The visit team checks whether the information given is correct.

“We check whether government, environmental and construction standards and whether our standards in terms of protection are respected. If this visit is positive, we validate the payment of the first installment paid to the owner of the place, ”adds Jackson Séjourné, project assistant at the IOM Return Unit in Haiti.

To carry out the relocation activities, we also need the support and assistance of various government entities through the UCLPB - the Housing and Public Buildings Construction Unit - and the town hall which is the local authority. closest to the beneficiaries. Thanks to a legal document signed by the owner and the tenant, the town hall becomes the third person who defends the beneficiary in the event of a problem with the owner.

Ena : avant et après Matthew….

La vue depuis la maison d'Ena donne sur la mer et sur les ruines des maisons detruites par l'ouragan MathieuEna est une commerçante qui vendait des pistaches  et des ustensiles de cuisine en plastique avant que l’ouragan n’emporte tout. La dernière somme d’argent qui lui sera versée lui permettra de redémarrer son commerce et de trouver un revenu fixe qui lui servira, l’année prochaine, à payer son loyer et de subvenir aux besoins de sa famille. « L’OIM, se bon bagay (c’est une bonne chose- en créole), car l’organisation nous aide à récupérer nos vies, à redémarrer après la catastrophe », conclut-elle.

L’OIM et ses partenaires ont permis à 319 ménages comme celui d’Ena d’être relocalisés dans un logement décent, leur offrant ainsi un nouveau départ.

Alors qu’une nouvelle saison cyclonique est en cours, on compte encore 3,618  personnes hébergées dans des  51 sites de déplacement dans les départements de la Grand’Anse, du Sud et des Nippes[2].

Le retour digne et sécurisé, dans les communautés d’origine des personnes déplacées suite au passage de l’ouragan Matthew, ne se fera qu’au travers de solutions de logements et d’accès à des moyens de subsistance durables. Une augmentation du financement pour le secteur « CCCM » associée aux interventions des partenaires « Shelter », permettra à ces familles de quitter les camps et les centres d’évacuation pour rejoindre leurs communautés, réduisant ainsi leur vulnérabilité aux intempéries.