INTEGRATED IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM FOR THE URBAN POOR/COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ADVISOR

Evaluation covers the period 7/79-2/81 and is based on a review of project files and interviews with project personnel. The order in which outputs are produced was revised and those related to community surveys and project evaluations are underway. A study on row housing in Nuevo Veranillo and Cerro Batea revealed that neighbors coordinated home improvements and were satisfied with their units. A study on progressive construction-service lots, Pis-Techo (PT) and basic unit types in the same two cities showed that over a 10-year period substantial investments were made in the units and beneficiaries attained more than adequate housing standards. A socioeconomic study of 140 families in Nuevo Veranillo over a 12-year period concluded that selection procedures should not overemphasize applicants" employment profiles and that job status was not a key factor in paying mortgages. The first monitoring report on the Roberto Duran and Torrijos-Carter Projects was issued. An evaluation of the Cabo Verde Project, in which 4-story walk-up apartments were built, dealt with administrative problems, the subsidy factor, and design alternatives. A case study comparing rural housing projects built with and without MIVI assistance was conducted, as were case studies of two projects in secondary cities, one with a core unit model and one involving community participation in building two-bedroom units. In addition to the studies, censuses of 20 areas selected for future projects were conducted to profile potential beneficiaries. Further studies and other outputs will be completed during 1981. The staff of MIVI"s Social Affairs Office (SAO) are being trained to design, analyze, and produce relevant reports, and the process of reorganizing the SAO staff has begun. Unexpectedly, the project is generating valuable baseline data for testing the assumptions underlying housing guaranty programs. It is recommended that SAO"s status and role and the issuance of reports be monitored.