Colombia Resilient and Inclusive Housing Project

About the project

After two decades of consistent economic growth and reductions in poverty, the COVID-19 crisis had a significantly adverse impact on Colombia’s economy, with effects that may take considerable time to absorb. The COVID-19 crisis is now highlighting in-country disparities in access to quality housing— specifically for poor and vulnerable families living in overcrowded conditions with inadequate sanitation. The proposed Project supports a shift in GoC housing policy and investment along four key tracks: (a) Improved targeting to poorer and vulnerable households; more specifically, the proposed Project supports the new Casa Digna Vida Digna (CDVD) home improvement program whose beneficiaries are disproportionately poor and employed in the informal sector. (b) A focus on incremental home improvement, as low-income beneficiary households predominantly need to improve the quality of their existing housing stock. (c) Increased efficiency in the deployment of housing subsidies; more specifically, the average per household subsidy value for the CDVD Program is $4,158—67 percent of the value of all ‘up market’ subsidies in place prior to 2018. (d) The introduction of a new and innovative rental subsidy program targeting the highly vulnerable group of migrants from Venezuela. This rental subsidy instrument can serve as a potential model for other countries facing cross-border migration challenges in the region and globally. The proposed Project aims to further act as a critical stimulus in a COVID-19 recovery scenario as Colombia shifts its attention to catalyzing growth and employment.

Project Development Objective (PDO)

To improve the quality of housing and public space for vulnerable households, including migrants from Venezuela, in selected municipalities.

Relevant Documents:

• Project Appraisal Document (PAD)
• World Bank Project Information Page