Ocean View Shelter Access

The Ocean View Development Trust (OVDT) in Cape Town helps poor and marginalised families build and improve their own homes. Since 1992, it has supported 700 families, benefiting about 4,000 people, with plans to assist 2,500 more. Families use “sweat equity” by helping build their homes, which reduces costs and strengthens community cooperation. Training workshops teach building and financial skills, and local materials and labour create jobs and keep money in the community.
Ocean View is an overcrowded township where over 30,000 people live in housing originally built for 1,800 families. Many homes shelter multiple families, with poor sanitation and limited space causing health, social, and economic problems. OVDT improves living conditions by providing houses with clean water, sanitation, electricity, and road access. It has also created jobs for masons, carpenters, and welders and opened preschools serving 300 children.
The project is community-driven. Residents participate in decision-making through housing clubs and street committees. It is funded by local, provincial, and national government, as well as international donors like USAID and the Levi Strauss Foundation. A partnership with a private developer is expected to create jobs and generate ongoing income for the community.
The initiative improves the environment by replacing unsafe structures with durable homes and adding sanitation services. Locally produced building materials, community markets, and savings schemes help wealth circulate within Ocean View rather than leaving the area.
OVDT promotes self-reliance, gender equity, and skill development, helping residents plan their own future. Its model of combining housing, job creation, and community empowerment is now part of South Africa’s national People’s Housing Process and has inspired similar projects in other communities.