SEVANATHA has being implementing above mentioned Urban Settlement Upgrading Program (USUP) under its Community Livelihood Action Facility Network (CLAFNet) since 2009. The CLAFNet was established jointly with SEVANATHA, Women’s Development Services Cooperative Society (Women’s Bank) and few other active community groups to improve the shelter and livelihood of poor communities in selected cities. The USUP is focused on Social Mobilization, Secure of Tenure, Livelihood Improvement, Housing and Basic services of the poor communities. Issuing of loans for livelihood support and housing improvement is a continuous process that managed by the community themselves. The entire process is based on community level savings groups which are lined to a city level and national level network.

Under the USUP program a new project called Decent Poor (DP) Housing Project was introduced with the financial support of SELAVIP and ACHR. Under the DP project, a grant amount of 50,000 LKR was provided a poor family to construct a basic house. In eight (08) cities SEVANATHA has selected twenty one (21) poor families who lived in temporary and dilapidated houses and provided grant support under this project. Most of the families have included women headed families, families with disabled children, chronically ill family members and aged people who are unable to improve their houses without external support. Construction supervision and providing other required support during constructions were looked after by SEVANATHA. Within about three month time, these families were able to moved in to their new house. The beneficiary details are as follows.
 

After implementing this project, the communities started to think about vulnerable families in their own communities and looked for helping such families. With improvement of the houses these extreme poor families have gained renewed momentum to start a new life with their neighbors. . Decent Poor project contributed to strengthen the USUP as an inclusive settlement improvement program. Therefore the Decent Poor project can further support needy families in our cities and rural areas under the USUP.

Identified Decent Poor families