This project supported 129 households through housing construction loans, to be used within existing slum areas in Bangalore, in Karnataka state. The loans helped households to meet the 10% community contribution required for households living on low incomes to build under the Basic Services to the Urban Poor scheme. This government initiative provided a 90% subsidy towards slum infrastructure projects, with the city municipality carrying out housing construction in 11 settlements across the city.

Loan amounts varied across the settlements, as some households had been able to save prior to construction and did not require the entire 10%, while in another two settlements larger loans were requested for additional construction.

The units were built in existing areas, replacing the clients’ previous temporary structures. Those identified by Bangalore Mahila Milan (a women’s federation group) for the loan had been saving for a number of years and some had taken loans previously with Mahila Milan, showing that they were able to repay successfully. Once the homeowners were selected, SSNS lent group loans to Bangalore Mahila Milan, who in turn lent to the chosen clients, and collected daily repayments through home visits.