Associação Soluções Urbanas

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Arquiteto de Família – Diagnósticos da Moradia e Saúde da Família

Residential Renovations to Improve Living Conditions in Niterói’s Favelas

According to IBGE, 11.42 million people live in favelas in Brazil. The houses in the favelas, usually built by the residents themselves, are often precarious and pose health, safety and financial risks to their inhabitants. The Federal Law 11.888/2008 ensures that families with income up to 3 minimum wages receive technical assistance for projects to improve their dwellings. Municipalities, however, do not always observe this law, thus favela residents continue to live in precarious housing. This project works to improve housing in the Morro Vital Brazil and Cavalão favelas in Niterói. With the overall goal of promoting healthy living, the project provides solutions to fix structural deficiencies such as excessive moisture and heat which can cause health problems, and inadequate sewage systems that can contaminate
drinking water.

With the support from BrazilFoundation, this project will:

• Educate families on the relationship between health and living environment;
• Assess risks in 200 homes;
• Identify the homes that need restructuring and report them to public authorities;
• Map out social and health needs in relation to living quarters.

Impact

100 homes addressed to public authorities
200 homes evaluated
400 people benefited directly

“Many times, the cause of a disease can be found in a person’s home. Because of this, even while providing treatment, the disease becomes chronic.” – Mariana Estevão, President of Associação Soluções Urbanas