A policy framework for housing sustainability for low-and middle-income earners in Windhoek, Namibia

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to identify crucial factors limiting adequacy, affordability, and accessibility of housing to LMIEs with a view to developing a framework to enhance the sustainability of housing for LMIEs thereof. The objectives of the study are to analyse the factors affecting adequacy, affordability, and accessibility of middle- and low-income earners in Windhoek, to establish the factors affecting the delivery of housing adequacy, affordability and accessibility to LMIEs, to analyse the solutions to housing accessibility affordability, and adequacy for low[1]and middle-income earners, to determine the role of housing entities in the supply of adequate, accessible and affordable houses to LMIEs, and how housing entities enhance the satisfaction of low-and middle-income earners and to develop a framework for housing sustainability for LMIEs. Mixed methods research was adopted in which structured questionnaire were administered to LMIES and interviews conducted with both LMIES and other stakeholders in the housing sector in Namibia. A total sample size of 384 participants was targeted in this study, and 284(72.92%) of LMIEs responded to the survey. Eighteen interviews were conducted with government entities from City of Windhoek, National Housing Enterprise and the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development (MURD). The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for the descriptive, correlation and regression analyses on the quantitative data in order to identify which factors are significant predictors of housing affordability, accessibility, and adequacy. Word Cloud tool in NVivo and Visualising of the words were performed on the qualitative data to identify the most significant predictors of housing problems among LMIEs. The findings indicate that housing policy and schemes to assist low and middle-income earners (HPLM) have a direct influence on housing affordability (HA). The results demonstrate a direct nexus between ALCH and HA, which implies that when the adequacy of low-cost housing (ALCH) increases by 1%, then housing affordability (HA) increases by 31%. AHLME and HA is 0.08, the path with the lowest positive impact. These results additionally show that when the accessibility of housing for low and middle-income earners (AHLME) increases by 1%, housing affordability (HA) enhances by 8%. The findings iii indicate that an increase of 1% in the housing price in the housing market (HPHM) can lead to a reduction of 34% in housing affordability (HA). Based on the findings above, the researcher proposes the following recommendations: There should be a strong need and commitment by the government to ensure that the performance of public housing for LMIES meet their needs and aspirations. Appropriate policies, regulations and standards need to be in place to ensure adequate, accessible and affordable housing for LMIES.