Toronto Haiti Action Committee

Background

Wikipedia gives the following intro to the 2010 earthquake:

The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicenter near the town of Léogâne, approximately 25 km (16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.

By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater had been recorded. An estimated three million people were affected by the quake; the Haitian government reported that an estimated 316,000 people had died, 300,000 had been injured and 1,000,000 made homeless. The government of Haiti also estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged.

The earthquake caused major damage in Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other settlements in the region. Many notable landmark buildings were significantly damaged or destroyed, including the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly building, the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, and the main jail. Among those killed were Archbishop of Port-au-Prince Joseph Serge Miot,[13] and opposition leader Micha Gaillard. The headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), located in the capital, collapsed, killing many, including the Mission’s Chief, Hédi Annabi.

Housing

Here are some background reading points on the housing problem since the 2010 earthquake:

1. Other Worlds are Possible:
   • Other Worlds Are Possible: Withholding water: Cholera, prejudice and the right to water in Haiti, part
     one by Deepa Panchang, May 31, 2012

   • part two on June 29, 2012
   • Urgent action: Haitian families again facing forced evictions by Amnesty International, June 19, 2012
   • Home: From Displacement Camps to Community in Haiti by Alexis Erkert and Beverley Bell, January 4, 2012
2. Haiti Grassroots Watch: See numerous articles on the website, including this one:
   • Transition to what?, August 23, 2011
3. Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti: housing rights campaign
4. Canada Haiti Action Network: Do a search of the website under ‘housing’ to find these and other articles:
   • Haiti’s earthquake victims step up demands for housing, by Kim Ives and Roger Annis, July 4, 2012
   • “Impossible” to house Haiti’s displaced under current political conditions, says international report, by Roger Annis, April 19, 2012
   • Evictions mar Canada’s resettlement project in Haiti, by Stuart Neatby, April 11, 2012
   • Haiti’s housing and shelter crisis still looking intractable, by Roger Annis, Feb 23, 2012
   • Piercing new report on shelter and housing by International Crisis Group, June 28, 2011

Here are some current housing statistics showing the seriousness of the housing gap.