1. The South AfricaSocial HousingandUrban Regenerationproject hasasits ultimate aim the revitalization
of innerurbancommunitiesthatprovide accessible housing and improvedsocio-economicconditions
for lowincome andpreviouslydisadvantagedSouthAfricans. Insodoing,itwill be contributingtoboth
the governmentof SouthAfrica’spriorityof restructuringinnercitiestobetterreflectthe country’s
post-apartheidracial profile,aswell asthe Governmentof Canada’s prioritiesof improvedgovernance
deliveringbetterqualitypublicservicesinthe contextof expandingandinclusive economicgrowth.To
achieve thiswithinthe SouthAfricancontext,twoconditionsmustbe inplace:the existence of an
enablingenvironmentof effective andcoordinated resource availability(includingcapital,land,and
legal authority);aswell as the existence of capable operationalmanagementexpertise,encapsulatedin
Social HousingInstitutions(SHIs) thatare able tosustainablydevelopandmanage inclusive social
housingdevelopmentsandurbanregenerationprojectsininnercitylocations. The projectwill
therefore focusonthese twopillarsbyimplementingastrategyof capacitybuilding,partnership
creationandthe documentationandinstitutionalizationof bestpractices.
To achieve thatenablingenvironmentof coordinated resource availability,effective partnershipsneed
to be establishedandnourishedamongstavariety of stakeholdersthatinclude national,provincial and
municipal levelsof government, SHIs,financial institutions,communityorganizations,transportation
authoritiesandthe private sector.Todo this,RC-AIwill designandinstitute arange of capacity building
interventionsthatincludethe organizationanddeliveryof local andnational coordination workshops,a
seriesof focussedshorttermtechnical assistancemissionstoaddressspecificsocial housing
managementneeds,andstudytoursto Canadato learnfrom thiscountry’sexperience withurban
regeneration,aswell astoencourage ongoingpartnershipsbetweenCanadianandSouthAfrican
institutions.Inordertoensure the viabilityof the project’ssecondpillar,acritical massof capable SHIs,
RC-AIwill focusitseffortsonbuildingthe capacityof the National Associationof Social Housing
Organizationstoprovide services,trainingandothersupporttoitsmemberSHIsinorder to ensure their
financial solvencyandorganizational rigour.Supportwill alsobe provideddirectlytoindividualSHIsas
required.RC-AIwill provide programmanagement,technical assistance,andwillorganize learningtours
to Canada aimedatminingthe Canadian social housingexperienceandencouragingpartnerships
betweenCanadianandSouthAfricannot-for-profitsocial housinginstitutionsandassociations.
In the contextof bothprojectpillars,RC-AIwill promote sustainabilityby documentinglessonslearned
and bestpractices,presentingthese resultsthroughlocal andnational workshops,andencouragingthe
institutionalizationof these practicesthroughpolicyandprocedural development,advocacyand
strengthenednetworking.