Aware of the special hardship faced by the family of Mr. Nguyễn Văn Châu (born 1964, Tây Sơn Commune), neighbor Nguyễn Ngọc Quý (born 1973) mobilized support from philanthropists, while also contributing his own resources, labor, and even a plot of land to help the family build a new house.
Both Mr. Châu and his wife suffer from mental illness, while their 18-year-old daughter has lived with autism since birth and cannot care for herself. The family depends on Mr. Châu’s unstable income from selling lottery tickets, which is insufficient to cover living expenses.
Their house had deteriorated severely, and on February 19, 2025, the roof collapsed completely—fortunately without injuries. Seeing the tragic situation, neighbors helped dismantle the damaged roof to prevent further risks. Understanding the family’s hardship, Mr. Quý decided to call on friends, relatives, and local authorities for support.
As a result, the family received VND 30 million from local authorities and nearly VND 110 million in donations from benefactors. Mr. Quý also donated 10 m² of land, personally supervised the builders, and used his own money to provide food and drinks during construction.
The new house, 80 m² in size, has tiled floors and clean, solid finishes. Overjoyed yet unable to express himself, Mr. Châu could only smile and nod repeatedly when asked if he was happy to have a new home.
Quý shared: “Before, Mr. Châu’s house was always shut, so few people knew how badly it had deteriorated. After the roof collapsed, we finally saw their hardship and joined hands to help. Neighbors must stand by one another in tough times. Being able to help his family makes me feel at peace.”
After completing the program to eliminate makeshift and dilapidated housing, localities across the province have been implementing measures to help people escape poverty sustainably.
According to Mr. Đoàn Văn Điệp, Vice Chairman of Tuy Phước Bắc Commune People’s Committee, “The key to sustainable poverty reduction is stable livelihoods. That’s why, in addition to eliminating makeshift houses, the commune has focused on creating lasting livelihoods for residents.” So far, projects have supported 322 breeding cows for 169 households with total funding exceeding VND 5.1 billion.
“From the program ‘Poverty Reduction, Job Creation and Vocational Training 2021–2025’, the commune has implemented 11 sustainable poverty reduction projects with total funding of VND 6.52 billion, supporting 184 poor, near-poor, recently lifted, and disabled households,” Mr. Điệp shared.
Canh Vinh Commune has completed its goal of eliminating 168 makeshift houses (114 newly built, 54 repaired). Beyond housing, the locality emphasizes that “settling down” must go hand in hand with “making a living.” Numerous livelihood programs have been launched: providing capital, seeds and livestock, technical training, vocational courses, and market linkages.
Notably, Canh Tiến Hamlet has been oriented toward eco-community tourism development, connected with Hồ Núi Một reservoir, protective forests, pristine waterfalls and streams, and the cultural identity of the Bahnar people. The commune is drafting a community tourism development plan in Canh Tiến Village, expected to launch products by the end of 2025, opening sustainable livelihood opportunities for local people.
Nguyễn Thị Thu Thủy, Secretary of Canh Vinh Commune Party Committee, noted: “The presence of the Becamex VSIP Bình Định industrial-urban-service complex has created many local job opportunities.
From the beginning of the year to August 2025, nearly 500 local workers have been employed there; many households have shifted from pure farming to services such as lodging, transport, and business, diversifying incomes.”
In border commune Ia Mơ, authorities are assessing the specific shortages of each poor household, particularly the 36 households that recently received housing support. The commune is also building agroforestry economic models to capitalize on the Ia Mơr irrigation project.
Vice Chairman Nguyễn Tuấn Anh added: “We are working with businesses to pilot 30 hectares of tobacco on low-yield land. If successful, this model will create a new direction, increasing incomes and boosting local economic development.”
Ia Hrú Commune has developed a plan to support 30 poor and near-poor households with loans totaling VND 2.4 billion. Priority is given to households needing additional capital to expand production and business.
Trần Minh Tâm, Chairman of Ia Hrú Commune People’s Committee, said: “We are focusing on encouraging people to switch from low-yield crops to those with higher economic value.
In particular, the commune is supporting residents to convert low-productivity one-crop rice fields into sugarcane, mulberry for silkworms, and fragrant longan. These models have proven effective in raising household incomes.”
To achieve its remarkable success in eliminating makeshift and dilapidated housing, Gia Lai’s experience lies not in distant models but in the resolute involvement of the entire political system and the unity and solidarity of society as a whole.
According to Hồ Quốc Dũng, Secretary of Gia Lai Provincial Party Committee and Head of the Steering Committee for the housing program, the results underscore a major lesson: decisive, consistent leadership from Party and government; effective coordination and supervision by the Fatherland Front, mass organizations and armed forces; and the consensus, responsibility, and solidarity of the people and business community are the keys to success.
“From a meaningful program, we have established an effective organizational model that can be applied to many other social welfare initiatives in the future,” the Secretary emphasized.
He also affirmed that Gia Lai is committed to maintaining and expanding these achievements, firmly preventing the reemergence of makeshift and dilapidated housing.
The province will continue to improve mechanisms and policies, especially social housing tied to sustainable poverty reduction and new rural development.
By standardizing processes, digitizing monitoring, and expanding good models, each new house will not only be a safe home but also a motivation for families to strive forward—contributing to Gia Lai’s fast, comprehensive, and sustainable development.
The program to eliminate makeshift and dilapidated housing, a project of both the Party’s will and the people’s heart, has strengthened public trust in Party and State leadership. For Gia Lai, the 12,520 “three-solid” houses provide not only safe shelter but also a firm foundation for families to make a living and build their future.
