Informal workers make up more than four fifth of India’s labor force. Many struggle to make ends meet. For them, poverty typically perpetuates since banks don’t invest in poor people living off an informal income. Exclusion from home loans means being forever at the mercy of landowners in the absence of tenants’ rights. With the support of UNDP’s Business Call to Action program, social enterprise Shubham Housing Development Finance Company provides home loans to people who can vouch for their integrity solely through lengthy interviews and referrals from their community. The goal is to provide home financing to 50,000 families by 2018. Already, reported impact includes improved access to clean water, electricity and sanitation, safer communities, decreased stress, greater confidence and improved wellbeing.
Home loans in India help families excluded from formal banking system escape poverty
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