When we assess the self-help housing reconstruction method, we see that in Turkey first of all the central government which these ministries and the general director of disaster affairs and with the local governor of the state level, they look at the 3 different options. One is give them the cash credits, direct financial credits to the homeowner, so what they can do is; they can purchase a new house from the property developer wherein the second aspect, we have the provide technical support plus stage by stage you give some certain payments on construction; to completion of the construction that is delivered to the homeowner. And he again relies on the either a beneficiary managed construction or it could be he relies on the designers of the building contractors who hire, so in that way, that is another process. Whereas in option 3, it is completely a government-managed construction so, in this, they rely on the contractor, so agency driven process and they finish the house and they deliver it to the homeowner so, this is how the self-house mechanism has been conceptualized.

Even in this process, there are some shortcomings; one is the house designs offered by the government have very little regard to local rural living styles and while families can choose to use their own design, this entails hiring an architect which the owner must pay for in manage themselves. So, even though the family is getting an option to choose their own design but he has to pay for the architect or the contractor and here, in this process, though the government is ready to give them training or provide guidance on how to build a technical support, so but it takes a long time to educate the owners about earthquake-safe constructions and design because it depends on their literacy levels, depends on the social and cooperation, how they come in negotiation.

In many cases, it has been noted that contractors run away with some basic deposits and maybe having a small verbal agreements with the owners and they run away so, in that way the whole project leaves incomplete. And there is no involvement of owners in important decisions whether to relocate or where to relocate and what kind of input especially, in this process, so that is one of the important things.

In Duzce province after the 1999 earthquake, you can see that in the centres and villages and the district we have the statistical you know, the damage statistics is in providing this table and the house is constructed through the central government financial support, one is the government mass housing process which is about 8004 who is qualified for this; owner of badly damaged or a collapsed house? Self-help similarly, it was almost less than half percentage that is where owner of badly damaged or collapsed house. Whereas, the repair and retrofitting process of 4874 which is about owner of semi damaged house, which means it is possible for the reconstruction.

If you look at the whole process, in the disaster acts or whatever they have been, it is mainly focus on whether someone owns something and whether it is lost and so that he can be compensated whether in the form of insurance, whether in the form of; then what about a renter; you know he was not having a house and he was completely ignored, so that is where one has to look at how these neglected groups who are basically the renting community. And how they are not to be considered, so that is where in Turkey, there have been some efforts why various agencies have come forward that yes, we also need to take care of these not only the house owners who lost the house but what about 7, 8 tenants or 20 tenants who are living in that apartment, so what about them, who becomes homeless.