6th Community of Practice for Human Settlements Finance: Focus on conditional grant spending

The 6th Community of Practice on Human Settlements Finance, held virtually 17 March 2021, focused on the impact of COVID on residential property markets at national level, drawing on analysis of updated deeds data as of 30 June 2021. The session also included a comprehensive discussion between the National Department of Human Settlements and the metros, on challenges experienced in spending the human settlements conditional grants.

Following the presentation by NDHS on conditional grant spending, the presentation by CAHF unpacked the changes to the residential property market due to COVID, that are visible by comparing 2019 and 2020/21 data. The CAHF presentation summarised the findings of a recent 2021 national Citymark report on residential property markets and affordable housing. A third presentation summarised the main points from the recent national 2022/23 human settlements budget.

The COP is a joint initiative of CAHF, the Cities Support Programme of National Treasury, and SALGA and was established in 2019 as a regular platform intended to address issues of housing finance, spatial planning and housing development in cities. The purpose of the Community of Practice on Human Settlements Finance is to provide a knowledge-sharing platform for research on residential property markets and the built environment finance framework.