Stellenbosch Municipality: LaRochelle
Jeremy Bedard, Caleb Ralphs, Donna Murillo, Aleye Momodu
South Africa’s constitution guarantees the right to housing. Yet, providing housing to all citizens is a challenge. Evictions, shack fires, and homelessness require temporary relocation as formal housing options are identified. This project assisted the Stellenbosch Municipality to understand the housing desires of one temporary community, La Rochelle, whose members declined a resettlement offer. Our recommendations were informed through life histories, interviews with housing professionals in government and non-government sectors, and observations of a range of housing strategies. In new housing, residents of La Rochelle desire access to resources that support their autonomy, opportunities to retain their current social networks, and formal support to integrate into a new community.