VIABLE SELF-MANAGEMENT - THE FUNACOM-HOUSING-PROGRAM OF THE SAO-PAULOMUNICIPALITY

This paper describes the FUNACOM Housing Programme (Municipal Programm e to support Housing for Low Income Groups through self-management). M ore specifically, the basis of the programme, community self-managemen t and community participation, reinforced by the involvement of Non-Go vernmental Organisations (NGOs), will be focused upon. FUNACOM, design ed by the Municipality of Sao Paulo (1989-1992), directly allocated mo ney, needed to improve housing and infrastructure conditions, to low-i ncome families organised in so-called community associations. They lin ked up with technical assistance teams who, as NGOs, assisted both in elaborating projects and organising the process of building based on s elf-management and mutual-help. The associations, however, were ultima tely the entity which managed the financial resources and the mutual-h elp projects. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.