Yên Bái pushes to eliminate temporary housing in remote areas

A construction site to build a house for a poor household in the northern mountainous province of Yên Bái, —VNA/VNS Photo

YÊN BÁI — The northern mountainous province of Yên Bái, guided by the motto of 'Leaving no one behind', is concentrating its resources on helping local communities eradicate temporary and dilapidated housing.

The effort aims to provide new homes to residents in impoverished mountain areas, allowing them to settle and build stable lives.

To date, construction and repair work on over 1,250 houses has started across the province.

From among those, 528 houses are being built in Mù Cang Chải District, 162 in Văn Chấn District and 204 in Trạm Tấu District.

The province’s plan to support the construction and repair local houses consists of building 1,046 new homes and repairing 378, with a total budget of over VNĐ70 billion (US$2.8 million).

Deputy director of the provincial Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Department, Vũ Lê Thành Anh said that the province issued an annual plan tailored to current conditions, prioritising resources to eliminate temporary and dilapidated housing in high mountainous areas.

The approach was for the State to cover the majority of costs, with contributions from social sources and benefiting households making up the remainder.

For impoverished households in mountainous regions, local authorities were tasked with mobilising resources to facilitate construction.

Thanks to a comprehensive set of measures, mobilisation of resources beyond Government support had been highly effective, accounting for over 85 per cent of the total implementation budget.

Specifically, the province supported VNĐ50 million ($2,000) per new house and VNĐ25 million ($1,000) for repairs.

In the particularly disadvantaged districts of Trạm Tấu and Mù Cang Chải, the support was VNĐ60 million ($2,400) for new builds and VNĐ30 million ($1,200) for repairs, surpassing central Government regulations by at least 20 per cent to 40 per cent per house.

Additionally, each household could borrow VNĐ40 million ($1,600) from the Việt Nam Bank for Social Policies.

Annually, through the For the Poor Fund, officials across Yên Bái contributed at least one day’s salary to support housing construction.

In addition to Government funding, local authorities had mobilised thousands of days of labour, primarily from military personnel, police, militia, youth volunteers, local farmers and women, all contributing to the construction efforts.

The coordination had minimised costs for materials and labour.

Deputy chairwoman of the provincial Fatherland Front Committee, Nông Thị Kim Cúc, said that over the past two years, numerous companies and philanthropists, both within and outside the province, donated in kind, valued at over VNĐ50 billion ($2 million).

Many districts now completed more than 80 per cent of their housing targets set by the province.

Notably, Mù Cang Chải and Trạm Tấu districts had achieved 95 per cent of their targets this year.

It was anticipated that the province would meet its goal of eliminating temporary and dilapidated housing for the 2020-25 period by the end of this year.

Criteria for support

Local militia and youth union members help to build a house for a poor household in the northern mountainous province of Yên Bái,—VNA/VNS Photo

The determination and hard work of impoverished households are believed to play a crucial role in the selection process for receiving assistance.

The criterion was mandatory and involved community verification and public endorsement.

Chairman of the People's Committee of Trạm Tấu District, Vũ Lê Chung Anh, said to ensure the programme targeted the right beneficiaries and fostered community support, the assessment and evaluation of housing conditions and needs of poor households were carried out meticulously in three stages.

It started from village or hamlet meetings for initial assessment, followed by criteria verification and approval at the commune level and final approval by the district authorities for funding.

In practice, the programme not only provided stable housing but also strengthened community bonds, enhanced trust in local governance and contributed to the successful implementation of rural development projects.

Chairman of the People’s Committee of Mù Cang Chải District, Lê Trọng Khang,said following housing support, most the poor and near-poor households were motivated to work harder, learn better economic practices and aim to overcome poverty independently, reducing reliance on State aid.

The approach to poverty reduction, especially through the elimination of temporary housing, alleviated the debt burden of constructing new homes for the poor, enabling economic development and sustainable poverty alleviation.

“The support is not just material but also a significant morale boost, encouraging residents to improve their living standards,” he said.

The programme also embodied humanitarian values, demonstrating mutual support and fostering a sense of responsibility among the poor towards society, he added.— VNS