SWITZERLAND / HAITI – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the government of Haiti are appealing for USD 21 million to ensure better protection and shelter conditions for tens of thousands of people newly displaced by gang violence in the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince since mid-August.
Successive outbreaks of violence in Carrefour-Feuilles and Savanes Pistaches neighbourhoods in Port-au-Prince have led many to flee their homes. Increasingly, they are settling in improvised sites rather than host communities and families, where they face additional vulnerabilities.
“Displacement severely risks the health, food and economic security of people, exposes them to gender-based violence, and puts pressure on local infrastructure and social cohesion within host communities,” said Philippe Branchat, IOM chief of mission in Haiti.
Nearly 200,000 people are now internally displaced in Haiti, of which roughly 70,000 find themselves in inadequate and precarious spontaneous settlements and collective centres, 31,000 are sleeping in the open air and 34,000 are crammed into classrooms according to IOMs Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM).
Many families cannot meet their basic needs. Inadequate shelter and crowded living conditions further exacerbate tensions, contributing to violence and increasing the risk of sexual assault.
“When the shooting started, I left my neighborhood with my son,” a woman living in one displacement site said. “I had to find us a place to shelter quickly. I found the Lycée Jean-Marie Vincent; it lacks space in the classrooms, and when it rains, we sleep standing up in the rain.”
IOM and the Haitian government are co-leading the activation of the Shelter Cluster, which brings together governmental actors, UN agencies, and local and international NGOs. Cluster partners are accelerating efforts to distribute blankets, mats, water storage containers, emergency shelter kits, and kitchen sets to 70,000 people. In total, 53 collective centers for displaced people will receive equipment and repairs, and cash assistance will be provided to 130,000 people living with host families. IOM also assists the most vulnerable people to move from displacement sites to more adequate housing.
To aid efficiencies in the delivery of assistance, IOM operates a Common Pipeline mechanism in Haiti, making core relief items available to partners.
The prolonged crisis has exhausted host families’ capacity to support displaced persons, leading to secondary displacement and increased vulnerabilities. In six months, the percentage of displaced people staying with host families has fallen from 75 percent to 55 percent, while the number in collective centers has risen from 25 percent to 45 percent.
Further exacerbating the situation, over 115,000 Haitians have been forcibly returned from neighbouring countries in 2023, many lacking proper identification, complicating their reintegration. IOM data shows that nearly 22 percent of those repatriated were previously displaced within Haiti highlighting the need for sustainable, long-term solutions to internal displacement.
While immediate life-saving assistance is critical, accelerating progress in addressing the root causes of displacement remains an urgent task.
