The DA-led Stellenbosch municipality has pioneered an innovative solution to help applicants gain easy access to its housing database and to allow the municipality to better plan for the housing needs of its residents.
The VOIS housing app was launched as part of a campaign to update and refine the municipality’s housing demand database. The current housing waiting list dates back as far as 1987 and when the different areas and towns of the municipality were amalgamated in 1995, the various lists were combined into one. The municipality has about 16 300 applicants currently registered on the database, but the information for many of the applicants may be incomplete or outdated.
The information on the existing housing waiting list will be updated and imported to the new Municipal Housing Demand Database. Residents will be able to submit and update a housing application through the digital platform, but those who prefer to make use of the normal, manual process will also be accommodated.
Given the high cost of mobile data, the app has been designed so that the entire application can be completed offline and will only use a very small amount of data when the application is submitted. Once an application is created through the app, the user then has seven days to submit the required paperwork to the housing office for verification.
The app is not only a first for Stellenbosch, but also one of the very first municipal apps of its kind in South Africa. It illustrates the DA’s commitment to providing people with the dignity of home ownership.
The municipality emphasized that no existing information will be deleted and applicants who do not verify their information will be marked as inactive until they are able to contact the municipality to verify their information.
Besides ensuring that the municipality has the most up to date information for residents applying for housing, the updates will also help the municipality to determine where future housing projects should focus, as well as the type of housing assistance that residents qualify for.
The application is just another example of how DA-run municipalities, in collaboration the DA-led Western Cape government, are dedicated to finding innovative ways to address the immense need for housing opportunities in South Africa.
The app (VOIS Housing Application) is available for Android smart phones and an iPhone version is currently being developed. The municipality is also looking into expanding the app into Afrikaans and isiXhosa.