TCIS Affordable Housing Finance Consultant

Requisition Number

10572BR

Posting Description

Indonesia’s combination of quantitative housing shortages, poor housing quality, affordability barriers, urbanization pressures, and disaster risk highlights the urgent need for systemic solutions to the housing crisis. Current estimates indicate that 12.7 million households remain without homes, additionally, a qualitative deficit affects 22 million households living in substandard conditions, characterized by poor construction quality, inadequate services, or overcrowding. The affordability gap is significant; only the top 20% of Indonesian households (income deciles 9 and 10) can afford housing in the formal market. The middle 40% (income deciles 5 to 8) cannot afford formal housing solutions without government subsidy. The bottom 40% (income deciles 1 to 4) have minimal capacity to save or access housing as they live below or close to the poverty line. Almost 70 percent of low-income housing is self-built or informal. Financial system constraints exacerbate the issue, as the mortgage-to-GDP ratio stands at only 3 percent, limiting the reach of formal housing finance. Rapid urbanization is intensifying these pressures, with 68 percent of Indonesians now living in cities where slum growth has expanded, resulting in an estimated 29 million people residing in informal settlements. Adding to these challenges is Indonesia’s high exposure to natural disasters, with 110 million people, or 42 percent of the population, vulnerable to floods, earthquakes, and tsunamis.

The Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter (TCIS) proposes to use the consultant’s services to provide advisory services to financial institutions (FI) in Indonesia with the aim of increasing access to affordable housing finance for low-income households and MSMEs operating in the housing value chain.

Develop a strategic housing finance plan for Indonesia that prioritizes affordable, inclusive, and resilient housing solutions.

Facilitate the onboarding of financial sector partners through direct engagement with MFIs, cooperatives, and housing finance providers, as well as through partnerships with associations and umbrella organizations. The onboarding of FIs will include identification, institutional assessment, development of the housing loan product, internal capacity building of FI staff, pilot testing, and product launch.

Identify scalable opportunities in green finance to promote climate-smart, energy-efficient, and disaster-resilient housing products and services tailored for low- and middle-income households.

Map opportunities for integrating digital financial solutions into housing finance products to expand outreach, improve affordability, and enhance client experience.

Outline pathways for unlocking government housing subsidies, with a focus on enabling access for informal and low-income households who remain excluded from formal mortgage markets.

Embed cross-cutting themes of gender equity and climate resilience throughout the analysis and recommendations to ensure that proposed solutions expand financial access, address structural inequalities, and strengthen long-term resilience of housing markets.

Scope of Work

The Consultant will undertake the following activities, organized under three core workstreams and embedded with cross-cutting priorities of gender equity, green finance and subsidy pathways:

A. Indonesia Housing Finance Plan

Conduct market research and stakeholder consultations to assess:

Demand for housing microfinance products, including loan sizes, terms, and purposes.

Supply-side readiness among MFIs, cooperatives, and other affordable housing finance institutions.

Policy, regulatory, and market enablers and constraints, with a focus on subsidy access for informal and low-income households.

Identify high-potential geographic and demographic target segments.

Develop a 3 year strategic housing finance plan that includes:

Product development and refinement opportunities (secured and unsecured loans).

Integration of green finance mechanisms to promote energy-efficient, climate-smart, and disaster-resilient housing solutions.

Identify and propose solutions to key barriers such as tenure security, subsidy access, affordability gaps, and regulatory constraints that limit low-income households’ ability to access housing finance.

Partnership approaches with both financial and non-financial actors, such as sustainable construction materials manufacturers or distributors or other actors in housing value chain.

B. Partner Onboarding – building on TCIS experience in Indonesia of working with FIs to promote affordable housing, the consultant shall facilitate partnerships through:

Direct Engagement:

Identify and engage MFIs, cooperatives, and housing finance providers for the adoption or scaling of housing finance products.

Conduct institutional assessment on basis of FIs management’s commitment to affordable housing finance; interest in providing end-beneficiaries non-financial services support (construction literacy) for transition to energy efficient, resilient housing; operational self-sufficiency; good portfolio quality (measured by portfolio at risk and write offs less than 10%); adequate debt/ equity leverage and strong social performance, good corporate governance.

Facilitate product concept workshops; needs assessment for FIs staff capacity building; feasibility discussions and activities to support pilot testing of housing finance product and product launch.

Association Collaboration:

Work with umbrella bodies (e.g., rural bank associations, cooperative federations) to promote the adoption of housing finance concepts.

Co-develop capacity-building and technical assistance plans and consumer education for promoting resilient, energy-efficient, and sustainable housing.

Aim to onboard at least two FIs with a housing portfolio of at least US$200,000 and a partnership with at least one FI association.

Pipeline of FIs for future onboarding

C. Digital Finance and other opportunity Mapping

Assess current and emerging digital finance solutions relevant to housing finance, including mobile money, agent networks, and fintech lending platforms.

Identify potential technology and payment partners to enable digital loan disbursement, repayment, and client engagement.

Map integration points between FIs and digital platforms.

Develop a phased roadmap for digital housing finance adoption, embedding considerations for women clients and rural outreach.

Deliverables need to be produced based on the timelines discussed with the hiring manager. All output will be approved by the hiring manager before the processing of payment.

Process

Above services are to be provided based on market research and the Terwilliger Center’s product development methodology as outlined in the “Housing Microfinance Product Development – Handbook” of the Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter.

Location and Duration

The consultant (either an individual or a firm) must be based in Indonesia. The duration of the contract is for 12 months.

Fees

Total contract fee of US$35,000/- with travel expenses reimbursed on actuals as per HFHI travel policy.

Qualifications

Proven experience in financial inclusion, housing finance, or microfinance, with a track record in engaging financial institutions on product development, institutional assessments, and portfolio growth

Demonstrated ability in project management, facilitation, and capacity building, including staff training and institutional strengthening

Strong research, analytical, and communication skills

Fluency in English and Bahasa Indonesia

HOW TO APPLY:

Submit your proposal via email to Sabha Khawaja, Regional Director, TCIS South-East Asia at skhawaja @ habitat .org

Applicants must also be willing to submit required documents and sign covenant on data privacy, safeguarding, and ethics to comply with the Service Provider Accreditation process of Habitat for Humanity International.

Function

Finance and Accounting, Government Relations, Housing and Shelter, International National Organization, International Programs, Marketing, Operations, Program Management

Position Category

Consultant

Position Type

Consultancy