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THE SHiFT BEGAN…
After a Best Practice workshop organised by the Social Housing Foundation in April 2000 at which housing associations formulated guidelines for social housing design.
Concerned professionals who contributed to the workshop and the subsequent publication (Best Practices Booklet No 1: Guidelines for Social Housing Design SHF 2000) came together to discuss how professionals could participate to improve the quality of social housing development in South Africa.
Professionals from around the country joined the initiative that led to the establishment of SHiFT to take the message further and create a shift in building quality and design.
AND CONTINUES…
SHiFT is a section 21 Company with section 18A status, whose vision is create sustainable communities that contribute to the transformation of the South African society.
SHiFT aims to critically engage with the social housing sector in South Africa by promoting an integrated approach to the planning and delivery of social housing. Influencing major stakeholders and the social housing sector towards developing an integrated process to enable the building of communities, in respect of:
- Policy
- Delivery process
- Quality products and environments
SHiFT aims to demonstrate that:
-Design of mass housing starts within the context of the city, the village, the neighbourhood, then the street and the home.
- The interest of the public and the social housing institutions are integral to the design process.
SHiFT’s objectives are to:
- Facilitate platforms for exchange and dissemination of ideas, experience and share expertise.
-Promote social housing as an option amongst existing and future practitioners.
- Establish an organization that has the capacity to execute the vision, mission and goals of SHiFT in an effective and efficient way.
WE FACILITATE THE SHiFT BY…
Opening discussion around topics in the sector through variety of tools
Capacity building and educating:
Workshops (4 annually)
Site visits (6 annually)
Exchange programme (3 months per year)
Building a knowledge base:
19 social housing project reviewed through the Project Review Series (6 projects annually)
Awareness of issues:
Competitions
Community Associations
Online discussion forum via website (under construction)
Engagement with policy makers via:
National Social Housing Task Team as part of the Techncial subcommittee
National Department of Housing: Social Contract as part of the Capacity building task team.
ANNUAL REPORTS
For a detailed account of our activities on an annual basis refer to the relevant Annual report below:
