“My house and my health will last. If you only give me food, there won’t be anything left once the meal is over.” Fedner and Brigitte, from the La Vallée area
Finding housing was a priority in the aftermath of the earthquake, with so many people left without safe places to sleep. The Canadian Red Cross designed hurricane- and earthquake-resistant houses in collaboration with the affected communities and the Haitian Red Cross. This housing struck a balance between urgency and durability, as they could be built quickly but were also made to last.
Impacted communities were present and actively involved every step of the way, from the initial phase of identifying vulnerable people, through the construction phase, and lastly, to handing over the keys.
Over 3,000 Haitian workers were hired and trained to build the houses. In total, over 7,500 houses were built in the Jacmel and Leogane areas.
Housing still standing after Hurricane Matthew
On October 4, 2016, Hurricane Matthew tore through Haiti, leaving several departments heavily damaged. That included the Southeast department, where 1,000 houses had been built following the earthquake. At the end of October, a Red Cross team carried out an assessment of these houses in the aftermath of the hurricane.
The team visited houses in Gaillard, in the Cayes Jacmel commune, and in the La Vallée commune. None had suffered major damage and they were in excellent shape overall, apart from a few cases of water infiltration.
Key facts and figures
- 7,500 homes were built in the Jacmel and Leogane areas in collaboration with locally trained workers.
- 2,125 displaced families received cash grants to cover rent for a year or to resettle in the province of their choice.
- In total, donations from Canadians helped provide safe shelter solutions to over 20,000 families by building new houses, supplying rental assistance and arranging for families to return to the areas where they were living prior to the earthquake.
Learn more about
our action in Haiti.