We die together: the emergence and evolution of the Homeless People's Alliance

This working paper situates the growth and development trajectories of the South African Homeless Peoplefs Federation and the South African Alliance, associated with SDI, in the context of the liberation struggle in the 1980s, the negotiations of potentially transformative housing and urban policies in the 1990s, and the challenges of sustaining partnerships with government agencies in the 2000s. The ideals of urban spatial restructuring and ecompactingf and eintegratingf the spatially segregated city have been an important part of post]apartheid urban spatial policy. South Africa continues to grapple with the complex and reinforcing patterns of urban segregation, and in many ways an ambitious housing programme has contributed to entrenching the highly inefficient spatial form of apartheid-created spatial dormitories. The growth of informal settlements has exceeded government efforts to deliver better services, provide adequate housing and mitigate against disasters and vulnerability. A radically new approach is required, because state-driven upgrading has translated into a slum clearance programme, decimating poor peoplefs livelihoods and survival opportunities.