Publications and reports

Asia Pacific

This report examines small-ticket housing finance programs in India and Nepal, using a gender lens to assess their impact on living conditions and women’s empowerment. Based on surveys, interviews, and institutional insights, it finds that these financial products influence women’s participation, confidence and household decision-making across diverse socio-economic contexts. 

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Africa 

The report is intended to be a resource document for others in the insurance industry and beyond who plan on developing similar lines of inclusive property insurance, and those who wish to learn from the experience of this project. 

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Africa  

The research study was conducted to examine the needs and barriers preventing women and youth from accessing and using housing finance in Tanzania. The objective of the study was to understand the housing finance needs of women and youth, assess the demand for housing finance among this demographic, identify constraints impeding their access to finance, evaluate existing housing finance products, uncover challenges and opportunities in the housing finance sector, and provide recommendations for addressing the specific needs of women and youth. 

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Asia-Pacific 

In Nepal, microfinance institutions are an important channel through which low-income families can access financial services. Despite the opportunities, home improvement financing remains an untapped market segment. This case study features the journey of Jeevan Bikas Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited and their partnership with the Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter and Habitat for Humanity Nepal, for the development of a viable and client-centric housing product, to promote adequate shelter among low-income households in the country.

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Asia-Pacific 

In the Philippines, small and medium enterprises play a crucial role in providing low-income families the products and services they need to build or repair their homes. However, small and medium enterprises are still challenged with a lack of access to finance and weak business support systems. This study provides an understanding of small and medium enterprises that comprise the “missing middle” in the housing market value chain in the Visayas region. It also presents appropriate recommendations and identify innovative interventions to support the availability and accessibility of quality and affordable building materials for low-income households. 

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Europe and the Middle East

Beginning in 2015, Sunrise MCF partnered with Habitat’s Terwilliger Center to improve and expand their housing microfinance products. This new report examines the impact of two products – energy efficiency and home improvement loans – on low-income borrowers’ quality of life. 

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Latin America and the Caribbean  

This study aims to identify the main barriers that prevent low-income people from widely accessing current housing subsidies in Peru. How can we revitalize these benefits for those at the bottom of the pyramid? The Terwilliger Center undertook an in-depth analysis of housing subsidy programs. Based on this research and our experience in the national construction market, we also propose a number of alternative solutions. 

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Asia-Pacific 

In Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, 22 million households live in homes with at least one substandard feature such as overcrowding or lack of access to basic services, according to the World Bank. KOMIDA, one of the largest microfinance institutions in Indonesia, partnered with Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter to develop a people-centered housing microfinance solution aligned with KOMIDA’s social mission. 

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Global  

This report examines whether the success of MicroBuild Fund–supported financial institutions has influenced other providers to adopt and expand housing microfinance products. Using a research approach grounded in Diffusion of Innovation Theory and informed by field interviews with financial institutions and market stakeholders, the study explores evidence of a broader “crowding-in” effect. It aims to assess whether MicroBuild’s investments have driven wider market adoption beyond its direct partners.

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Learn more about the MicroBuild Fund

Asia-Pacific 

A commissioned study to profile the bamboo industry focused on bamboo production propagating and planting, collection and distribution in the provinces of Cebu and Negros Oriental. This research aligns with the Terwilliger Center’s ongoing efforts to explore how the growing bamboo industry in the region can support innovative, sustainable housing solutions. 

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Latin America and the Caribbean  

This handbook provides detailed instructions, tools and examples for consultants and financial institutions seeking to follow Habitat’s proven five-step methodology for housing microfinance product development.  

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Global  

This report examines how climate change and housing are deeply interconnected, highlighting the disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations in the Global South and the urgent need for resilient, low-carbon housing solutions. It explores the scale of the global housing deficit and the risks faced by those in informal settlements, where climate-related hazards are most severe. Finally, it assesses the current investment gap in this sector and identifies opportunities to mobilize greater support for scalable, climate-smart housing innovations. 

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Africa 

This report examines the critical role of housing as a social determinant of health, highlighting how poor-quality or inadequate housing contributes to negative health outcomes, particularly through exposure to disease vectors. It explores how improved housing design and construction can reduce the spread of vector-borne diseases, especially among low-income populations in sub-Saharan Africa. The report also highlights innovation challenges to identify and scale affordable housing solutions that enhance health and resilience against public health threats. 

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Asia-Pacific 

This is a survey of owner-driven housing construction, practices, financing modalities and aspirations for a resilient home in disaster-prone areas in Cebu Province, Philippines. 

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Europe and the Middle East

This case study provides substantial guidance to address housing shortages, financial exclusion and sustainability challenges. There are detailed insights into resilient strategies like alternative income verification for self-employed beneficiaries, partnerships with banks to integrate the unbanked, and inclusive mandates empowering women and disabled individuals. It also contains replicable templates for policy frameworks, financing phases, stakeholder coordination, and data-driven monitoring. 

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Latin America and the Caribbean  

This study examines the financial barriers within the self-produced housing value chain in Mexico, with a focus on access to design services and construction materials. It explores gaps in financial accessibility, the availability of tailored financial products, sustainable housing financing options, and gender-related disparities in access to housing finance. Drawing on market analysis and stakeholder interviews, the study also identifies structural and institutional challenges while highlighting opportunities for innovation in financial systems to better support self-production housing. 

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Asia-Pacific  

Habitat for Humanity International’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter collaborated with Engineering for Change and other industry leaders to research the landscape of sustainable, green and circular housing solutions in the Philippines. This effort aimed to answer the question “How might we make green housing more affordable and accessible for financial service providers, builders and end-users” in the Philippines. This paper draws heavily on that work while offering updated insights on what is next for green affordable housing in the country. 

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Latin America and the Caribbean  

This study examines the barriers preventing low-income Peruvian families from accessing housing subsidy programs, placing the issue within a global and regional context of sustainable housing policy and best practices. It identifies key obstacles highlighting a central problem of limited information and mistrust between stakeholders, which restricts access and affordability. The study ultimately recommends improved data collection and tailored financial solutions to better meet the needs of different low-income groups.

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Global 

This report documents housing’s true contribution to gross domestic product by analyzing 11 emerging market countries, where evidence on the total size of housing investments is often lacking. It explores the potential underestimation of the housing sector by official statistics and examines whether the housing sector could support economic recovery while creating safer, healthier housing for low-income households. The report offers inclusive housing proposals for the public and private sector to respond to COVID-19. 

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Asia-Pacific 

This study estimates the market size of the owner-driven construction housing segment in the Philippines, to understand the opportunities and positive impact of tapping this unserved population. Such information could support future investment and policy decisions among public, private and non-government organizations. 

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Asia Pacific

Produced in partnership with the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, Philippines, this assessment examines the factors driving electrical fire risk, safety practices, and opportunities for market-based solutions. As families invest in home improvements and acquire more appliances, electrical systems often become more complex without corresponding safety upgrades, making households vulnerable to electrical hazards. The findings reveal significant potential to improve access to safer electrical products and services while reducing fire-related risks for low-income families. 

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Global 

This 2021 report explores the role of the construction sector in creating jobs and rebuilding emerging market economies in nine countries: Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa and Uganda. 

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 Latin America and the Caribbean  

This report is the result of exploratory quantitative and qualitative studies conducted in Metropolitan Lima since 2017, within the framework of the project Development of Housing Market Systems for the Base of the Pyramid.  This report aims to bring different actors in the housing market system in Peru closer to the construction workers sector, in order to present opportunities to expand the availability, accessibility and affordability of quality labor.  

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Europe, Middle East and Africa 

This study employed a mixed-methods research approach to evaluate the “Tujenge: Build It Better” television show regarding its impact on expanding knowledge, shifting attitudes and motivating the uptake of affordable housing solutions among households and housing sector actors. It also sought to understand the show’s impact on influencing the media landscape and encouraging the development of similar content. This report outlines the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the target audience toward affordable housing solutions and the extent to which “Tujenge: Build It Better” influenced these outcomes. 

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Global 

The ability of low-income families to build housing is shaped by both material constraints and social influences. Limited access to affordable materials and construction services often forces these households to build incrementally over many years. Beyond these financial factors, social norms also strongly influence decisions made by families and construction workers, often resulting in less optimal building practices. To better understand and influence these norms, the Terwilliger Center partnered with MarketShare Associates to study low-income housing practices in India, Kenya, and Peru.  

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 Latin America and the Caribbean 

This is an in-depth qualitative study of consumers at the base of the pyramid in San Jose de Lurigancho district. The objective of the study was to collect first-hand information on the qualitative housing deficit in San Jose de Lurigancho, in order to adapt the housing market system facilitation model to the base of the pyramid. This study was based on ethnographic research with key stakeholders of the local housing market ecosystem and was complemented by focus groups to gain insight into the main findings presented in this report.  

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