Hurricane-resistant Home Improvement in the OECS

Making low-income housing in the OECS safer and environmentally sustainable
through property insurance and home retrofit programs.

Terms of Reference for the Development a Blueprint for Safer Housing Programs

I. The Independent Contractor (hereinafter referred to as "The Consultant") will be technically responsible to the Director of the Unit for Sustainable Development and Environment ("USDE") of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States ("GS/OAS"), for fulfilling the obligations established by the following terms of reference of this contract.

II. Under the USAID/OAS Caribbean Disaster Mitigation Project, the OAS assisted the National Research and Development Foundation of St. Lucia (NRDF) in launching a Hurricane Resistant Home Improvement Program (HRHIP). This program has been operational for nearly 7 years. Recently, the OAS has been able to generate an interest on the part of the World Bank World in this program, and in exploring the potential for its replication in other territories of the Eastern Caribbean. In response, a short-term project was prepared by the OAS and approved by the World Bank.

III. The proposed project aims to review the lessons learned from the St. Lucia HRHIP program and to build capacity in the OECS to improve on and replicate the linkage of property insurance with home retrofit programs for low-income homeowners. It will also introduce an environmental management dimension to the existing program. There will be four main activities under this project: 1) strengthening of the safer housing and insurance program for low-income homeowners in St. Lucia; 2) development of siting criteria designed to minimize the impact of the housing on the environment and to minimize the effects of prevalent hazards on the housing; 3) development of a blueprint for successful safer and environmentally sustainable housing retrofit and insurance programs for use in the region, based on the St. Lucia program and on an assessment of existing safer housing programs and insurance schemes for low-income housing in the region; and 4) a sub-regional workshop to present the draft blueprint and to identify opportunities for replication of this program within the region.

The first phase of this project consisted of four consultancies, with the following products:

• A review of and recommendations for strengthening the existing HRHIP program at NRDF;
• A review of the group insurance program for low-income homeowners that had previously been established through NRDF and recommendations for the reestablishment of this program;
• Guidelines for environmentally appropriate siting criteria for housing; and
• Updated minimum standards guidelines for housing construction and inspection and for the training of builders in safer housing techniques.

IV. The purpose of this consultancy is to 1) develop a blueprint for successful hurricane resistant home improvement and insurance programs in the Eastern Caribbean and 2) to organize a 2-day workshop to introduce individuals and agencies supporting low-income housing activities in the OECS sub-region to this blueprint. In particular, the Consultant will:

1. Develop a blueprint for a successful hurricane resistant home improvement and insurance program. The target audience for this publication is individuals and organizations supporting or initiating safer housing programs for low-income residents in the OECS sub-region.

1. Identify and review existing safer building mechanisms in the Eastern Caribbean. This assessment is to include a review of training materials for builders and inspectors/estimators, retrofit standards, inspection capabilities, homeowner selection criteria and availability of insurance for low-income housing.
2. Review the assessments and guidelines prepared under the first phase of this St. Lucia Safer Housing Strengthening Program. These include a review of and recommendations for the existing safer housing programme at NRDF St. Lucia; a review of the previous arrangement for a group insurance program for low-income homeowners and recommendations for the reestablishment of a similar program; environmentally appropriate housing siting criteria; and updated minimum standards for housing construction and inspection.
3. Integrate the recommendations and guidance documents with existing materials, as appropriate, to develop a draft blueprint for safer housing programs. The blueprint should be appropriate for use by the safer housing programs identified in the sub-region under item 1.a. above. The blueprint will cover the following issues in detail:

1. The status of existing safer building training and retrofit programs and curricula in the sub-region
2. Minimum home retrofit and environmentally sustainable siting standards for inclusion in the loan and/or insurance programs
3. Guidelines for safe and environmentally sensitive housing siting
4. Establishment, management and financial requirements for a revolving loan program to support safer housing retrofit and improvement
5. Establishment and management of group insurance programs for low-income homeowners
6. Training requirements for estimators, inspectors and builders/artisans.

4. Submit the draft blueprint to the OAS/USDE and NRDF for review and comment.
5. Update the draft blueprint, based on the comments received, and prepare for distribution, via e-mail, to workshop participants.
6. Finalize the blueprint, incorporating comments received during the workshop.

2. Organize a 2-day workshop to introduce individuals and agencies supporting low-income housing activities in the OECS sub-region to this blueprint. This workshop will be held in St. Lucia.

1. Identify appropriate participants, including representatives of Development Foundations, housing agencies, major insurance companies and selected regional agencies in the OECS. Submit proposed participant list to the OAS for review and approval and invite participants once approval is received.
2. Organize workshop venue and related logistics, within the approved budget for this activity.
3. Prepare agenda and materials for review at the workshop and serve as facilitator for the event.
4. Identify and prepare scopes of work for appropriate resource persons to address specific agenda items.
5. Prepare a brief workshop report. This report is to include a summary of comments and recommendations on the blueprint, a participant list and an accounting of workshop and participant travel costs.

V. The consultant shall submit the following documents to GS/OAS' satisfaction. All materials are to be submitted in electronic format:

1. A draft of the blueprint for the St. Lucia program, as outlined in IV.1. a.-b. above. This draft is to be submitted to the OAS/USDE and NRDF St. Lucia for review and comment within three weeks of the inception of this contract.

2. An updated draft of the blueprint, which addresses comments received on the initial draft. This draft is to be submitted at least two weeks in advance of the workshop.

3. A proposed participant list, draft agenda and draft list of review materials for the workshop, for review by the OAS. These materials are to be submitted one month prior to the date of the workshop.

4. The final blueprint, incorporating comments from the workshop.

5. A brief final report, with recommendations for the way forward and identifying any remaining tasks. The results of the assessment of safer housing programs in the sub-region and the workshop report are to be attached to the final report. The final report and the final version of the blueprint are to be submitted, in electronic and hardcopy formats, within two weeks of the end of the sub-regional workshop.

Last Updated 13 March 2003