On February 14, the Santo community outside Léogâne opened 150 homes to residents. The opening comes after nearly a year of community-led planning and construction development, with recommendations compiled by Architecture for Humanity and unit construction headed by Habitat for Humanity International.
150 homes have been built from a total of up to 500. Construction of the next phase will commence in early 2012. The future home owners help with the construction of their home and have obligations to the community before receiving full ownership.
The Santo Community Development master plan has incorporated resident feedback, discussions and priorities to lay out a complete neighborhood for over 500 housing units, including a school, marketplace, civil engineering/drainage/bioswales, on a plot of land just south of Léogâne.
Images by Tommy Stewart
Handover of keys to the community
New Santo resident receives a certificate for a house he helped build. Soon, he will own the house outright
Moving in
Typical units. In most cases future homeowners helped construct each house from established plans. They then have the opportunity to expand their houses into their lots. Two weeks following Move In Day, some expansions have already been constructed.
Shipping container shed - a good use of containers
