Ansaar Management Company
Building affordable housing and a sense of community for low-income families
- Company
- Housing
- Pakistan
- 2009
The challenge
Poverty rates in Pakistan approach 50 percent, while the country faces a housing shortage of six million homes with low-income populations in major urban centers predicted to double in the next 15 years. Half of the urban population lives in unplanned squatter settlements that lack electricity, clean water, and sanitation, but require residents to pay considerable rent. Without legal title to the land they live on, they can be evicted at any time and hold no economic collateral to help gain access to formal credit markets.
The innovation
Ansaar Management Company (AMC) adopted a model that uses cross-subsidization to make quality housing affordable for its low-income target market. AMC took inspiration from Saiban, a not-for-profit housing project management company dedicated to addressing the challenges of low-cost housing in Pakistan, while taking a for-profit approach and focusing on sustainability and scalability.
The impact
AMC rolled out three housing projects for low-income communities, including a 100-unit project for flood rehabilitation with Pakpur Foundation; a 165-unit project with Engro; and a 115-unit project with Pakpur Foundation and PPAF.