Larkland Morley

Squatter Housing Solutions

Social Entrepreneurship 101 Course:

LAUNCH PLAN

The Problem We Want to Tackle

In Kingston, Jamaica many low income persons migrate from rural areas
to Kingston or other cities in search of employment and other
opportunities.
These migrants does not have family or suitable housing in these cities so
they decide to join with Squatter communities (in other words slums)
Most times, these residents does not have rights to the lands on which
they are squatting

The house quality is very poor and does not provide adequate protection
for good health especially during the hurricane seasons.
These people have very little income from hustling and very low income
jobs

The Solution We Came Up With

The approach we are taking was inspired by the $300 house concept that
has been discussed online since 2011. Which is a design that sticks with
functionality and involves the occupants in construction
Develop a housing system that is very cheap to construct but have all the
qualities of standard home. The aim is to build a 2 Bedroom home for less
than US$3000.00
A key component of this approach is to allow the occupants to assemble
the home with very little skills to reduce labor cost but maintain quality
Financing would come from existing government housing programs as well
as from those foundations that are already trying to help the poor but their
housing solution is more expensive.

The Solution We Came Up With

Building with Compressed Earth Blocks from local materials

Special building Blocks

Why This Solution is Unique

There are a few players in the system today in Jamaica
Food for the poor has built housing units out of wood which is not culturally
respected in Jamaica. The cost is about US$7000 for just a one bedroom unit
The National Housing Trust does have loan programs but these are hard to
access if you dont have a formal job or own the land to build on.
This solution would solve the following problem
Work with various stakeholders to secure suitable land space for resettlement
of Squatters. Acquire the lands where needed.
Develop a lower cost housing system (< US$3000) that the occupants can
help to implement on their own lands with modern design and materials

Why Were the Best People to Tackle It

Why should we implement this system?

We have over 15 years experience developing technology products in the
US and Canada
As original Jamaicans, we understand cultural and economic needs of
poor families trying to make ends meet

Our focus here is help people get ahead and not seek ways to profit from
the plight of other human beings
We will work with the government, partners and donors to develop a
sustainable ecosystem for the long term

Our Plan to Create Social Impact

Details from Change Mapping

INPUT:
Low Cost Home
Designs

OUTPUT:
# of homes
installed

COMPANY
ANALYSIS

INPUT

ASSUMPTIONS
+ Homes:
+ Designed to
withstand the
Elements
+ Attractive and
Maintain Stream
Designs
+ Very low cost at
maximum $3000 for
2 BDRMs
+ Company
+ Secure partners to
deliver product
+ Create systems to
install the homes

OUTPUT

OUTCOME:
Secure home for
Squatters
Very low cost of
ownership

IMPACT:
Focus on Economic
Development
Contribute fully to
society

HOUSEHOLD/CUSTOMER
ANALYSIS

OUTCOME

ASSUMPTIONS
+ Designs meets
cultural requirements
+ Able to secure land
to install the homes

+ Home owners are

trained to install their
own homes
+ Partners are willing to
fund materials for the
homes

IMPACT

ASSUMPTIONS
+ Squatters love the
homes and embrace
them
+ Home owners now
have to time to learn
new skills
+ Better home will
improve overall
health of owners

Our Plan to Become Financially Sustainable

The goal here is to develop a system that is sustainable. Here are basic points
The initial design will need some level of external funding to create proof of concepts and
build acceptance
Build and sell these housing design to regular home owners at a reasonable price (still
lower than conventional designs) and use the profit from those to fund build out of lower
income homes.
All participants will be required to sign up for skills training programs to improve their
income outlook for the long term
They will be given the homes with the expectation to pay for them. We reserve the right to
take back the homes given without payment or even to forgive the payments
We will work with the government to have a program for land acquisition and home building
which is mainly financed by the government

Our Next Steps!

The following are the expected next steps:

Work with a local partner to build proof of concept home for demos
Have discussions with suitable government agencies on existing home
programs for the poor
Reach out to donor agencies on their willingness to participate in a trial
run

Try to develop a suitable plan to find suitable land for resettlement

Either to acquire directly or to get help from the local government