List of Programmes
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Description of Plan or Strategy
| TITLE OF PLAN OR STRATEGY | Shelter – Integrated Vulnerability and Resilience Plan |
| DESCRIPTION OF PLAN OR STRATEGY | Use placeholder text |
Programme Overview
| Division or Agency Name | Division of Settlements, Public Utilities and Rural Development (DSPURD) |
| Programme Name | Social Assistance Housing Programme (SAHP) |
| Development Agenda Priority | Priority O: Affordable Housing for All |
| Regional Development Goal | RDG C – Establish affordable housing solutions and options in line with regional social and economic demographic trends, available resources and resource distribution. |
| Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals | SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities |
| Alignment with Vision 2030 Thematic Areas | Theme 1: Putting People First: Nurturing Our Greatest Asset Theme 2: Delivering Good Governance and Service Excellence |
| Programme Budget | $28,880,000 |
| Level of Capital Investment | Tier-(1): Less than $50M |
| Programme Budget Cycle | 2025 – 2026 |
| Development Planning Cycle | 2025 – 2030 |
Programme Description
- The Social Assistance Housing Programme (SAHP) is DSPURD’s integrated vehicle for reducing housing vulnerability among Tobago’s most disadvantaged households. The programme consolidates and expands DSPURD’s existing grant-based Home Improvement Programme (HIP) and construction-based Home Ownership Made Equal (HOME) pilot, interventions to serve low-income earners, elderly residents, persons with disabilities, and victims of natural hazards.
- Delivery is structured around a standardized Vulnerability Assessment Tool, developed to prioritize applicants based on structural need, socioeconomic risk, and disaster exposure. Under SAHP:
- HOME supports the construction, refurbishment, and retrofitting of homes through partnerships with prequalified contractors, community-based builders, and organizations like Habitat for Humanity.
- HIP delivers critical home repair grants for urgent and essential improvements.
- The Programme emphasizes affordability, speed of delivery, disaster resilience, and targeted support, with the long-term goal of cutting Tobago’s housing vulnerability rate by 15% by FY2030.
Programme Problem Context
- Tobago faces a persistent challenge of housing insecurity among low-income households, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and residents in structurally unsound housing. According to national census and survey data, over 20% of Tobago’s households report significant structural deficiencies, and an estimated 35–40% fall below the minimum income threshold for private market access.
- Less than 500 households annually are supported by existing housing grants and interventions; a fraction of the estimated 2,000–2,500 households in urgent need of support, and attempts to scale are constrained by limited fiscal space, non-standardized vulnerability screening, and fragmented implementation channels. This housing vulnerability is further intensified by increasing exposure to extreme weather events, which many existing homes are ill-equipped to withstand.
- Tobago faces a persistent challenge of housing insecurity among low-income households, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and residents in structurally unsound housing. According to national census and survey data, over 20% of Tobago’s households report significant structural deficiencies, and an estimated 35–40% fall below the minimum income threshold for private market access.
- Less than 500 households annually are supported by existing housing grants and interventions; a fraction of the estimated 2,000–2,500 households in urgent need of support, and attempts to scale are constrained by limited fiscal space, non-standardized vulnerability screening, and fragmented implementation channels.
- This housing vulnerability is further intensified by increasing exposure to extreme weather events, which many existing homes are ill-equipped to withstand.
Programme Policy Solution
- Establish a unified, vulnerability-based housing framework to expand equitable access to affordable, climate-resilient homes across Tobago through integrated public partnerships, scalable construction and retrofitting programmes, inclusive spatial delivery, and targeted in-situ housing assistance that enables vulnerable households to upgrade and adapt their existing homes safely and sustainably.
Programme Targets
- Reduce housing vulnerability by 15% among Tobago’s low-income and vulnerable populations by 2030
- Deliver 2,500+ affordable, disaster-resilient homes by 2045 using innovative, scalable construction methods.
- Institutionalize a standardized Vulnerability Assessment Tool (VAT) by FY2026 to prioritize and target assistance effectively.
- Achieve 30% equity in geographic access to SAHP housing across all Development Planning Regions by 2030.
- Ensure 50% of SAHP units are compliant with universal design standards by 2030 to align with DAP Q.
Programme Targets Measures of Success
- Annual 3–5% reduction in the number of households classified as housing-insecure (baseline FY2025).
- Construction and handover of at least 250 SAHP homes per year (1,250 by FY2030), with 100% meeting HSSE and disaster-resilience standards.
- Official approval of the Vulnerability Assessment Tool (VAT) by FY2026, with 100% of eligibility screenings using the VAT from FY2027 onward.
- At least 25–30% of new SAHP housing stock distributed within each Development Planning Region by FY2030, monitored annually.
- At least 60% of newly constructed SAHP units meeting universal design standards by FY2030, with 10% year-on-year increases toward 100% compliance.
Programme Projects for the Current Budget Cycle
- Home Ownership Made Equal (HOME) – Facilitate the construction, refurbishment, and retrofitting of homes for vulnerable households through partnerships with prequalified contractors, community-based builders, and organizations, to reduce housing vulnerability and increase access to safe, resilient housing.
- Home Improvement Project (HIP) – Deliver targeted home repair grants and technical assistance to low-income and vulnerable households to preserve existing housing stock, improve living conditions, and reduce structural housing risks
