Solid Ground: Disaster Resilience

Access to land lies at the heart of ending poverty – without land, there can be no housing and housing is the key to stability and opportunity. By using your voice to improve access to safe and secure land, you can help Solid Ground create the foundation for better housing.

Natural disasters affect about 188 million people every year.

They can have sudden and destructive impacts on housing. Poor and marginalised communities, including those without secure tenure to their homes, are among the most vulnerable.

Those living in unregulated and informal settlements (such as slums) are more prone to death, injury and loss of housing. There are many reasons for this:

1. Informal settlements are often located in areas vulnerable to natural hazards: i.e. steep slopes, flood plains. 

2. Housing in informal settlements does not often comply with construction and safety standards, leaving them even more vulnerable in the event of a disaster.

3. Due to the ongoing threat of eviction, those living in informal settlements are less likely to invest in home improvements which may strengthen their home against disasters.

Solid Ground advocates for disaster resilience, recognising that cities need to incorporate resilience strategies in their planning policies, allowing communities to be better equipped to cope with the increasing impacts of extreme weather patterns, and lessen the potential damage to people, housing and infrastructure.

Member of Solid Ground, Habitat for Humanity India takes a holistic approach to disaster mitigation, running response and relief programmes, all with an emphasis on land. As well as this, they continue to advocate for families who have already been affected by disasters.

Learn more about the Solid Ground campaign and sign our petition here.