Hundreds of Cambodians to Receive New Homes as Part of Social Impact Study

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Dec. 1, 2015) - World Housing today revealed the details of its Legacy Community Project, which will build a community for more than 200 Cambodian slum dwellers. The project is part of a larger study on the social impact of transitioning slum dwellers into community residents.

The study will also develop a social impact scorecard to assess the total effects of transitioning slum dwellers into an integrated community. The scorecard will include improvements to well-being, in addition to measures of environmental, societal and economic effects. The study will be conducted by University of British Columbia Ph.D student Pete Dupuis, who is also World Housing's co-founder.

"What's unique about our approach is the set of measurement tools we're applying to understand and calculate the net social impact our work has on the local community members. We're creating a scorecard to measure and monitor what truly makes a community resilient," said Dupuis. "Adequate housing with shared spaces and amenities, the kind we take for granted here in North America, is important. So is how a home impacts people's ability to engage a fuller life that includes stable education, healthcare and nutrition."

This social impact scorecard will enable the organization, and others, to better serve the one billion people living in slums across the world. World Housing will provide public updates on the Legacy Community Project study as the communities are constructed and for years afterward..

World Housing's managing director Graham Brewster added, "We provide more than homes - we build a community. We can see for ourselves how the residents are impacted, but we need to be able to show everyone else without flying them into Steung Meanchey."

Steung Meanchey, Cambodia's largest slum, is located in the capital of Phnom Penh. In partnership with the Cambodian Children's Fund, World Housing has provided 360 homes to date that house almost 2,000 Cambodians. In a typical Cambodian World Housing community, about 40 families share common community areas, playgrounds, wash houses and gardens. Every World Housing resident has access to education, nutrition and healthcare through local partner programs.

The launch of the Legacy Community Project also marks the first time World Housing has facilitated donations from the general public, which can be contributed through their website. An Indiegogo campaign to crowdfund a portion of the new community will run until December 31, 2015. Previously, World Housing was only funded through contributions from real estate partnerships.

Watch the crowdfunding video for the Legacy Community Project here: www.worldhousing.ca. Donate to the Indiegogo campaign here: https://www.indiegogo.com/at/SPk27QwYrPo.

About World Housing

World Housing provides homes to families living in slums in the developing world, fostering communities where families can thrive with safety, security, stability and access to the resources that change lives. World Housing's mission is to create social change by connecting the world to be a better community. World Housing believes homes are the key turning point where the momentum of community begins to have positive effects that radiate beyond individuals and into entire families, villages, and countries. Children who grow up in safe, stable homes have greater freedom to pursue education, and raise the standard of living for themselves, their families and further generations to come. As a registered charity, World Housing is made possible through direct giving and business partnerships with individuals and organizations who believe in the power of community to change lives around the world.