The Gufron family from Tajikistan received Habitat construction training which enabled them to install proper windows and doors in their home.

At Habitat, we define housing support services (HSS) as – a service or product designed to enable a household to:

a) Reach an adequate housing quality standard in secure tenure, basic services, and shelter durability and space.

b) Make shelter-related improvements in health, safety and livelihood.

HSS serves more families per year than building new or rehabilitating old homes. It is a significant shift from Habitat’s work as a contractor or construction manager toward consultancy and training, responding to homeowner demand. This is an enabling approach rather than a production approach.

Habitat’s Housing Support Services include:

• Micro finance loans: We offer affordable housing loans for basic home repairs and improvements.
• Legal assistance: We offer legal aid in securing fixed tenure, housing permits and land entitlements.
• Design: We advise homeowners on  incremental and sustainable building and disaster resiliency.
• Training: We provide training to many families and individuals including courses in finance, business construction.
• Access: We ensure that homeowners and future homeowners have access to the information resources and networks needed to enable them to improve their living conditions .