Asian Coalition for Housing Rights

The Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR) is a regional network of community organisations and allied professionals working with low-income and marginalised urban residents across Asia. Established in 1989, the organisation focuses on urban poverty, informal settlements, housing rights, land access, settlement upgrading and the participation of poor communities in urban development. Its central premise is that residents of slums and other underserved neighbourhoods should be treated not merely as beneficiaries of housing programmes, but as knowledgeable actors who can analyse their own conditions, organise collectively and help design practical development solutions. ACHR supports grassroots organisations at neighbourhood, city, national and regional levels. A recurring model is the formation of local savings groups, through which residents pool resources, establish collective priorities and develop the organisational capacity needed to negotiate with public authorities, landowners and financial institutions. These groups may use their savings to support housing improvements, infrastructure, welfare arrangements, livelihood activities or community enterprises. ACHR distinguishes this collective approach from conventional microfinance: the emphasis is not primarily on individual borrowing and repayment, but on strengthening social organisation and addressing structural problems such as insecure tenure, inadequate services and exclusion from formal planning. The coalition also connects communities with architects, planners and other technical advisers. These professionals can assist residents in documenting settlement conditions, mapping land and infrastructure, preparing site plans and developing proposals for upgrading or relocation. Community development funds can combine local savings with public finance, government subsidies, concessional loans or donor support, allowing organised communities to undertake projects that would exceed the capacity of individual households. In Thailand, ACHR has supported negotiations involving land sharing and land leasing with local authorities and private landowners, alongside access to low-cost housing finance and infrastructure subsidies. A major vehicle for this work has been the Asian Coalition for Community Action (ACCA), a programme that supported local organisations through grants, loans, professional exchanges and peer learning. The programme operated in 165 cities across 19 Asian countries and helped expand community savings practices into more developed systems, including longer-term housing savings, interest-bearing accounts, insurance and welfare arrangements, livelihood loans and financing for collective enterprises. The precise institutional form of these groups varies by country. Thai groups have commonly registered as housing cooperatives, while groups in the Philippines have used homeowners' or community-association structures; in Cambodia, many savings networks have remained less formally regulated. ACHR's regional role is also based on exchange. It enables residents from different settlements and countries to compare approaches, share practical experience and adapt successful innovations, including city development funds. Through these relationships, community organisations can engage with municipal and national authorities on land-use rules, infrastructure, sanitation, water, building standards, relocation and housing finance. ACHR has close links with the Slum Dwellers International movement and has supported the development of savings schemes, local federations and government dialogue within that wider ecosystem. The coalition's secretariat is based in Bangkok, and its work remains centred on community-led responses to urban poverty rather than on the sale of commercial consumer products.

ACHR was established in 1989 in response to the need for stronger regional cooperation among organisations working with low-income urban communities in Asia. Its approach developed around the idea that residents of informal settlements possess important knowledge about urban poverty and should be involved directly in diagnosing problems, planning interventions and negotiating solutions. Rather than concentrating solely on advocacy at the regional level, ACHR has worked to strengthen community organisations at the settlement and city levels, then connect those organisations across countries so that experience and bargaining power can circulate. The coalition's practical method has frequently begun with neighbourhood savings groups. Residents contribute collectively, decide how funds should be used and build organisational systems that can support housing improvements, welfare, livelihoods and community infrastructure. Over time, these groups may form citywide networks or federations and engage with local and national authorities. ACHR has helped communities use savings as a foundation for broader community development funds, which can combine resident resources with public budgets, subsidised finance and donor funding. This mechanism allows communities to take on projects involving land, infrastructure and housing that are larger than individual household improvements. Technical support has been another important part of ACHR's work. Architects, planners and other professionals have worked with residents to map settlements, document tenure and service conditions, prepare upgrading or relocation plans and communicate community proposals to officials and landowners. In Thailand, the coalition has been associated with efforts by low-income communities to negotiate land-sharing or leasing arrangements, obtain affordable housing loans and access infrastructure subsidies. These arrangements seek to reconcile the interests of landowners and residents while reducing displacement and urban vulnerability. ACHR has also built a regional learning system through exchanges among communities, cities and countries. These exchanges allow groups to compare savings systems, settlement-upgrading methods, municipal partnerships and financing structures. The Asian Coalition for Community Action became a central programme in this development. ACCA provided grants and loans, supported professional exchanges and helped community organisations in 165 cities across 19 Asian countries develop or expand locally controlled initiatives. Its support contributed to the diversification of savings systems, including longer-term housing savings, interest-bearing accounts, welfare and insurance schemes, livelihood lending and financing for community enterprises. The formality of participating organisations has varied by national context. Thai groups have often registered as housing cooperatives; Philippine groups have used homeowners' associations or community associations; and Cambodian savings networks have operated in a less regulated environment. Across these settings, the networks have sought dialogue with several levels of government on zoning, land access, service provision, building regulations, subsidies and relocation. ACHR's work therefore combines community finance with policy engagement and institutional negotiation. The coalition has maintained close ties with Slum Dwellers International, supporting the development of savings schemes, local federations and structured dialogue between organised communities and municipal or national governments. Its secretariat is based in Bangkok. Somsook Boonyabancha serves as Secretary General and previously led Thailand's Community Organizations Development Institute. ACHR is an organisation and regional network rather than a conventional consumer brand; its identifiable offerings are programmes, methods, exchanges and technical support for community-led urban development.

• 1989

  ACHR established

  [1]Asian Coalition for Housing Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  The Asian Coalition for Housing Rights was established as a regional network focused on housing, land and urban-justice issues affecting low-income communities in Asia.

• Asian Coalition for Community Action developed

  [1]Asian Coalition for Housing Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  ACCA became a major programme for supporting community organisations through grants, loans, professional exchanges and peer learning across Asian cities.

• ACCA reached 165 cities in 19 countries

  [1]Asian Coalition for Housing Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  The ACCA programme supported local organisations in 165 cities across 19 Asian countries and helped broaden community savings and development-finance practices.

ACHR positions itself as a regional community-led housing and urban-development network. It emphasises collective savings, grassroots organisation, practical technical support and negotiation with governments and landowners, rather than treating low-income residents as passive recipients of externally designed housing or finance.

• Community development programme

  Asian Coalition for Community Action

  ACCA is a regional support programme associated with ACHR that provides grants, loans, technical exchanges and peer-learning opportunities to community organisations. It helps groups initiate or strengthen savings systems, prepare housing and infrastructure projects, develop community enterprises and engage public authorities. The programme's model is designed to spread locally developed solutions between settlements and cities while retaining community control over priorities and implementation.

• Community finance

  Community savings and city development funds

  ACHR supports collective savings systems in which residents pool money and determine jointly how it should serve household and community needs. These savings can form city development funds and be combined with government finance, subsidies or donor resources. The resulting capital may support housing, infrastructure, welfare, livelihoods and community enterprises, while the process also builds organisational capacity and negotiating strength.

• Housing and urban-development support

  Community-led settlement upgrading

  ACHR connects organised communities with architects, planners and other technical specialists who help residents map their settlements, assess living conditions and prepare upgrading or relocation proposals. The approach aims to make residents active participants in decisions about land, housing, infrastructure and services, including negotiations with local authorities and private landowners.

• Asian Coalition for Community Action

  19 Asian countries

  ACCA supported grassroots organisations through grants, loans, professional exchanges and community-to-community learning. Its activities encouraged savings networks, settlement upgrading, housing finance, infrastructure projects and dialogue with government.

  Outcome. The programme supported initiatives in 165 cities and helped communities develop more sophisticated savings, welfare, housing and enterprise-finance systems.

  Source
• Regional community exchange network

  Asia

  ACHR facilitates exchanges among informal-settlement organisations so residents can share practical experience in savings, land negotiation, upgrading, infrastructure and engagement with public agencies.

  Outcome. The exchanges provide a mechanism for adapting and replicating community-developed approaches, including city development funds.

  Source

1. 1Asian Coalition for Housing Rightsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Asian Coalition for Housing Rights official websiteachr.net