No Place to go

The HIC mission visited various emergency housing sites where victims of the earthquake continue to reside nearly a year after the disaster. These sites can be categorized as follows:

a Unrecognized sites and dwelings: tents and privately rented pre-fabricated houses on public or city property

b Waiting Centres

c Temporary Housing

Quake victims are now living in unstable and inadequate housing the following reasons:

a Those living in officially unrecognized dwellings cannot and will not move away from their communities. They recognize that to do so will lead to social isolation or dislocation and hence will gravely affect their mental psyche and morale, their financial stability and their social support networks.

The two groups most affected by such moves are children and the elderly.
Elderly people rely on their communities for emotional support and also for practical assistance with accessing household supplies such as food and in getting to the hospital for medical examinations and to retrieve medicine. It is very difficuIt for children to be uprooted from their communities, away from their friends and schools.

b Many residents cannot rebuild on their own property as the government will not grant them the necessary building permits on the basis that such reconstruction conflicts with the government's own redevelopment plan.

c Residents over 70 years of age are not allowed to take out loans from the bank to rebuild houses.

d Residents cannot afford to rent apartments in their original neighborhoods as rents are now up to four times as expensive as before the earthquake.

e Some landlords now require security deposits of up to 100,000 yen for rental units. With barely enough money to provide food for themselves, the possibility of returning to their former neighborhoods is an illusive dream.

Problems with Security of Tenure

Although day to day living conditions vary between housing types, all of the residents of these temporary forms of housing share an overriding sense of instability derived primarily from the fact that they do not possess security of tenure. This means, among other things, that they can be evicted in accordance with due process, at any time.

On 20 August 1995 the government declared those residing in tents and privately rented prefabricated homes on city property in parks and playgrounds as "squatters".

The government has initiated a series of actions to pressure residents to leave what public official declare to be "illegal" sites. HIC was informed that these tactics include:

a questioning the political affiliations of community leaders;
b posting signs on "illegally" constructed houses and tents indicating that they are on public property;
c luring residents to waiting centres on false pretenses by glorifying the living conditions in these centres; and
d threatening that victims of the earthquake will not be able to secure housing with the assistance of the government unless they first live in government recognized housing such as waiting centres or temporary housing.

Obviously, for those living on "illegal" sites it is unclear as to how long they will be able to remain on these 'unofficial' sites. Similarly the future of those in waiting centres is tenuous as the city government is anxious for 'normalacy' and hence expects community centres and playgrounds to return to their intended use. Although those living in temporary housing have been told by the city that they remain in such housing for two years, their housing future beyond this time is completely unknown.

To date, no government official nor decision has stated clearly and unequivocally that those living in waiting centres or temporary housing will receive public housing despite the fact that virtually all of the residents in waiting centres and a majority of those in temporary housing are in need of public housing or government subsidized housing.

Moreover the government has not guaranteed that the residents of Kobe now living in parks, waiting centres, or temporary housing will be able to return to their original neighbourhoods and communities, despite the fact that this is clearly the very vocal, frequent and well-argued demand of these residents. For these people forced eviction and homelessness loom as real possibilities in the not too distant future, should the government maintain its current attitudes.

Conditions in Officially Unrecognized Sites

"Temporary housing should be a place of peace and comfort where we can save our energy to begin to rebuild our lives"
　　Homanchi Park Dweller

As of early October approximately 2700 people were living in tents or privately rented prefabricated portable units on public property - either parks or playgrounds - located in the Kobe city centre. Although living conditions obviously vary between tents and the prefabricated units, neither form of housing truly corresponds with the international legal housing rights of the residents.

(i) Tents on Public Lands

Those living in tents have been denied some of the most basic elements of adequate housing, including electricity and waterproof spray necessary to protect and preserve essentials such as food supplies. Although residents were eventually provided with the waterproof spray, the government continues to withhold electricity on the basis that these sites are 'legal' and to pressure these dwellers to move to waiting centres or to accept temporary housing most often located a far distance from their own communities.

Beyond this, the government has pressured residents by terminating the provision of food supplies on 20 August 1995, posting threatening signs on tents and 'illegally' constructed units and threatening that these people will not be able to secure temporary housing at all if they do not proceed to waiting centres. Additionally, the city government refuses to recognize housing sites that conflict with the redevelopment plan which includes widening and extending roads so that they will pass directly through where people are currently housed or where people once owned property and intend to rebuild.

The residents counter that "the plan is only a plan", it does not have the force of law and thus can be changed so that it coincides with and reflects the housing needs and rights of the citizens of Kobe and the victims of the earthquake. These tent dwellers maintain that they will continue to resist the government's efforts to force them to move into temporary housing located far away from their current communities.

(ii) Privately Rented Temporary Housing on Public Lands

Rather than moving to the government provided temporary houses in the outlying areas of Kobe, many citizens have chosen to defy the government plan in favour of residing closer to their own communities. As one resident in Honmanchi Park stated, "It is simply wrong that people should be moved far away". All of the residents in Honmanchi Park lived within 600 metres of the Park prior to the earthquake.

While the living conditions in privately rented prefabricated houses is necessarily better than in tents, the rights of these residents are also not being met.

There are three essential problems facing these dwellers:

1 The most pressing problem concerns the lack of legal security of tenure. Understanding that affordable housing in their own communities may not be available for at least five years, these dwellers are particularly vulnerable without this protection;

2 These victims of the earthquake believe firmly that governments at all levels are fundamentally ignoring their rights. They have attempted to negotiate with the municipal government and to participate in the redevelopment plan of Kobe, however they have been excluded from the process because they have refused to relegate themselves to the government's plan and move to temporary housing. The Municipal government has now posted a sign on its 4th floor office door at City Hall indicating that it will not speak with members of the Coalition of Victims of the earthquake; and

3 The government refuses to provide welfare assistance to persons without an officially recognized address. In other words, all of those residing 'illegally' in parks and playgrounds are ineligible for public assistance. The City government has responded to this by stating that "policy changes cannot be made for individual cases".

Conditions in Waiting and Evacuation Centres

As of October 1995, approximately 3000 persons were living in waiting and evacuation centres in Kobe. These persons constitute some of the poorest citizens in the city. Prior to the Great Earthquake most of those currently
housed in waiting centres were living in public housing. They are now relegated to living in community centres and gymnasiums having been unsuccessful in securing temporary housing through the lottery system, or refusing to move into temporary housing that is distant from their original homes.

The Waiting Centres mark some of the worst living conditions encountered on this fact finding mission. At the Suma Ward Community Centre, for example, where 23 families are currently living, the HIC delegation observed the following conditions:

a As in the other post-earthquake housing structures discussed in this report, the residents lack security of tenure;

b The floors of the gymnasiums where the people live is often protected with plastic, intensifying the already humid atmosphere;

c Each family is allotted only a very small area to live, eg. between 10-20sq m;

d The residents are often not permitted to use the convenient kitchen facilities located close to their living space. To ensure their non-use, both the hot water and gas where the residents live has been cut off. To cook or do laundry the residents are required to descend four flights of stairs and to walk outside to use the facilities provided by the city government. This is particularly onerous for the elderly, the disabled and for women who may be pregnant. As a result of this unnecessary inconvenience many of the residents have taken to preparing meals in their living spaces using hot plates and rice cookers. This seriously compromises the quality of food
being prepared.

e The residents complained of a lack of privacy on two fronts. First, because the partitions between 'households' are only 80 cm high, in particular women were ill at ease when having to change their clothes. The municipal government responded to this complaint by establishing changing areas for women, however this too lacks the privacy that a proper housing structure would afford.

Second, the residents complained that agents of the municipal government have walked around the living areas in the Waiting Centres very early in the morning. The residents feel that they are being watched by these officials and that this is a means of pressuring them to leave.

f The stressful and at times insufferable living conditions in Waiting Centres is exacerbated by the discriminatory attitudes that these residents have encountered. Waiting Centre residents have reported incidents of discrimination by colleagues and co-workers who call them "beggars" for continuing to require government assistance and for not living in proper housing.

The waiting centre residents made two key recommendations to the HIC team as to how to solve the overall housing crisis in the city:

1 The government should impose rent controls on landlords and property owners to ensure that affordable housing is available to all of those who cannot meet the current exorbitant rental prices; and

2 The City should be rent or lease land from property owners (on at least a short term basis), building apartments on the land, and then providing subsidized units for those who cannot afford steep rents.

One resident made the following simple request "We just want to be treated like human beings with a little dignity and respect".

Conditions and Location of Temporary Housing

The government has provided approximately 48,000 temporary housing units in the Hyogo region. These settlements resemble well-constructed refugee camps. As the HIC team walked through one such settlement, one observer remarked that it reminded him of the Prisoner of War camps in the film 'The Great Escape'.

Although some of these units are in Kobe city centre, a majority of the temporary housing settlements, however, are located well outside of the city centre in the far northern and western parts of the city. There is currently a 10％ vacancy rate in temporary housing, likely a result of the citizens' resistance to moving away from their communities to such an unclear future.

One of the overall problems with temporary housing concerns allocation procedures. In determining who would receive temporary housing the government naturally and rightfully prioritized access for elderly and disabled persons to ensure that these people - perhaps the most disadvantaged in Kobe - had shelter. On the one hand this is commendable, on the other, however, it has proven problematic.

First, in creating entire communities of elderly and disabled persons, the government has simultaneously created helpless communities. The integration of elderly and handicapped with the larger society would have ensured a social support network for these peoples. As it stands, however, and handicapped are completely reliant on the good will of social workers, nurses and volunteers to go to the hospital, to buy food, and medicine or to visit friends or family. The government has taken away any independence these people might have had otherwise.

The complaint that all of the residents we spoke with in various temporary housing complexes registered was the dislocation they felt from their communities as a result of having to move so far away. The effects of such removals can be summarized as follows:

・People rely on their communities for many things: social and emotion support, family ties, friendship, employment, services, school, etc. A person who is forced to leave that community therefore suffers multiple losses: friends, kinship ties, work, social support network. In turn, this may lead to feelings of isolation, depression or despair and may even lead to increased alcohol consumption. In Kobe, 25 suicides have been reported since the earthquake that have been directly related to loneliness and isolation suffered by those living in temporary housing, removed from their communities.

・People derive a sense of self from the people and environment that surround them. Without this, a person may feel lost, his or her identity becomes unknown. They are a nobody or less than a nobody.

Specific Inadequacies

Residents currently living in temporary housing had a litany of complaints beyond being dislocated from their communities. A comprehensive summary is provided:

a Residents do not have security of tenure, beyond the two year limit granted (but not guaranteed in law) by city officials;

b Temporary houses are located quite far from essential services such hospitals, schools and from metropolitan centres. In turn, residents without access to a car are reliant on public transportation. As it stands, buses run infrequently and cease operation early in the evening, limiting freedom;

c The residents lack full rights to participation and control over their housing. Dwellers of temporary housing surveyed for this report indicated that they were precluded from participating in the housing process since the earthquake. Residents have been told where to live and have not been consulted about their housing needs and wishes;

d For those with cars there is limited parking space available;

e Garbage disposals located at great distance from the houses of the elderly and disabled;

f The gravel roads create difficulties for wheelchairs and are dangerous for children or the elderly who may fall;

g Ramps provided for the elderly and disabled are of poor quality and will not be able to resist everyday wear and tear;

h Residents feel that they are not receiving detailed and current information regarding their housing situation;

i The houses are often extremely small (some are only 9sq.m.). Units are allocated per household rather than based on the number of people in a family. In turn, a family of five may have to live in the same size unit as an individual;

j Many of the units have raised toilets and showers that are difficult for handicapped persons to use and could cause an elderly person to fall and badly hurt themselves. In several units for the disabled the location and angle of handrails is incorrect;

k Houses have not been built to last longer than two years and yet it appears as if many of the people in temporary housing will need to reside in these houses for at least five years;

l There is no place for children to play;

m The units have thin walls resulting in noise problems and lack of privacy;

n The foundations of many of the houses are wood. This will easily rot in the damp weather. Additionally, bamboo shoots and mushrooms grow wildly underneath these houses. Also, snakes and insects have become an increasing problem; and

o Similar to residents in all types of post-earthquake housing in Kobe, those living in temporary housing sites complained that they were excluded by the government from participating in the planning of their current housing and that they continue to be excluded from the government's decisions regarding housing. Their opinions and ideas with respect to their own housing have largely been ignored. Residents stated that they were pressured to go to temporary housing, having been told that their final chance to secure housing was in April 1995.

Conditions for Women in Housing

Because women in Japanese society spend more time in the house than any other group or member of society, it is important to understand and underscore their experiences of housing since the earthquake. Our findings are laid out below.

a The inconvenient location of kitchen and laundry facilities (often several flights of stairs down from living space) in Waiting Centres makes everyday tasks arduous for all women and is particularly dangerous for elderly and pregnant women;

b The lack of privacy in the temporary houses (thin walls) and in Waiting Centres makes changing one's clothes embarrassing. Even the "change rooms" provided by the government do not allow women to feel much less exposed or sheltered from the public when undressing;

c The lack of privacy also makes it difficult to express emotions;

d Women are traditionally the emotional centres of the family. That is, they comfort children and husbands ensuring their mental and physical health. During and after an extremely stressful, life threatening event such as the Giant Earthquake the emotional demands on women are enormous. If women are not also cared for they will suffer irreparable mental strife and suffering, as well as losing what little independence they have in this country.

Women, Violence and Housing

a After the earthquake a number of individuals and families who were left homeless were forced to seek shelter with family or friends. Overcrowded living conditions can heighten stress, anxiety and pressure. This coupled with high levels of unemployment as is being experienced since the earthquake can lead to an increase in alcohol consumption. This can also lead to an increase in violence against women in the home.

b Since the earthquake there have been a number of reports of domestic violence. As a result of the earthquake, many houses were partly destroyed and many sites were cleared of rubble and now resemble empty parking lots sandwiched between houses that withstood the quake. Deserted, dark and often concealed, these are prime sites for violent acts against women. To date at least two such incidents have been reported. One can assume that many more similar incidents have actually occurred, however, women are reluctant to report such incidents - this is a global phenomenon.

The national government has said that they have sent patrols around neighbourhoods, acknowledging that violence against women is a problem. Is this enough? Obviously not; given that incidents of rape and sexual assault have been reported to have occurred subsequent to the earthquake. The government has made no other gestures that indicate that it intends to further assist women who are clearly in danger of being sexually assaulted and raped.