Population in Camps Housing Haitians Left Homeless by the 2010 Earthquake Drops Below 600,000
Haitians left homeless by the January 2010 earthquake continue to
leave the displacement camps in significant numbers, with the camp
population now below 600,000 for the first time since the January
2010 earthquake.
The IOM Haiti Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), prepared in
support of the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) group,
estimates that the camp population was approximately 594,800 at the
end of July 2011. This represents a decline of some 6 per
cent from the previous month (June 2011).
Notwithstanding the drop in the numbers, departures from camps
have slowed compared with the May 2011 DTM report, indicating that
solutions are becoming more difficult to find for those
displaced.
Links
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target="_blank" title="">Displacement Tracking Matrix, July 31,
2011
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Haiti
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website
"In the last six months, the pace of exit from camps has slowed
down considerably and most of those now in camps were renters
before the quake," said Luca Dall'Oglio, IOM Haiti Chief of
Mission. "Also, the number of former camp residents who departed
without appropriate housing remains unacceptably high and they were
driven out primarily by push factors such as poor living conditions
in camp, rain, insecurity, crime, and evictions."
Along with the decrease in the camp population, IOM also reports
a corresponding decrease in the number of camps. For the
first time, estimates for the total number of camps have fallen
below 1,000. According to IOM data, there are now 894
occupied settlements.
Part of the decline in the camp population can be attributed to
deteriorating living conditions, insecurity and forced evictions of
which a total of 348 cases have been identified since July
2010.
IOM found that the closure of 27 of the 107 displacement sites
during the latest assessment period was as a result of
evictions. These 27 sites account for approximately 7,846 of
the almost 40,000 individuals who have left the camps since June
2011.
The new IOM report comes at a time when many camp management
agencies have withdrawn or reduced their services. Although
the transition to self-management has shown some success, there is
growing pressure to deliver housing solutions for the internally
displaced.
The Haitian government has developed a comprehensive proposal
that would lead to the closure of six of the largest camps and
rehabilitate 16 return communities.
With nearly 600,000 internally displaced persons still in camps,
the scale of Haiti's homeless problem remains daunting.
The full DTM report is available at
"paragraph-link-no-underline" href="http://www.cccmhaiti.info"
target="_blank" title="">www.cccmhaiti.info and
"paragraph-link-no-underline" href="http://www.iomhaiti.com"
target="_blank" title="">www.iomhaiti.com
For more information, please contact:
Leonard Doyle
IOM Haiti
Tel: + 509 3702 5066
E-mail:
"mailto:ldoyle@iom.int">ldoyle@iom.int