Community-based Initiatives for Housing and Local Development (COBILD) (Completed)

The CoBILD Project, designed to pilot the viability of a low-income housing-finance mechanism based on market interest rates, was completed in July 2003. The project sought to meet the needs of low-income households by lowering the costs of housing provision through incrementally-built, sequentially-financed housing. It relied on community-based initiatives to further reduce the costs of housing through the collective acquisition of land and development of infrastructure. Its overall objectives were to develop community based housing finance models and governance structures which could be upscaled in the pilot cities; whilst a the same time developing, testing and institutionalising new management arrangements at the national level that would integrate and replicate good practices and the lessons learned through revised national policy.

Project support during 2003 focused on documenting experience and synthesising lessons as a basis for national replication and institutionalising the body of knowledge and practices within national and local institutions. With completion of project support mid-year, 23 cities had benefited from support, with 8 institutionalised "City Forums" and "Management Boards" providing an institutionalised support system for 175 communities and neighbourhoods. A total of 8,204 households continue to benefit from a revolving fund totalling 19,200 million Rupiah, invested in 5,328 housing improvements, 86 new constructions, and the purchase of 2,190 new plots - 60 of which have been pooled to finance a community-based solid waste management system. As CoBILD moves into a "national" programme, the three "best practices" were fully documented as models for up-scaling, replication (some to be supported through an ADB loan under the Neighbourhood Upgrading and Shelter Sector Project), which will also facititate broad-based dialogue to encourage policy reform. Pilot activities in four locations could not be sustained due to local conflicts.