What Will You Change: Housing in Costa Rica

Team Fuqua Alumni Magazine.

Lee and Lisa Mirman—both Daytime MBA graduates—are developing affordable housing for the working poor in Costa Rica.
By Tim Candon — This article was originally published in the Team Fuqua alumni magazine.

October 19, 2011
Lee and Lisa Mirman

Lisa and Lee Mirman

 

 

 

Not only did Lee and Lisa Mirman weather the real estate bubble’s burst, they thrived afterwards, and their success has enabled them to switch gears and focus on a very different constituency — the poor in Costa Rica.

The Mirmans — both Daytime MBA graduates — are passionate about venture philanthropy, especially in Costa Rica. Since her mother is originally from the country, Lisa considers it her second home. The couple establishedInvestments in Costa Rica, which works in conjunction with the Costa Rican government and the Peace Corps to develop and deliver affordable housing.

“The standard of living there is low, but the people’s ability to build their own community is very moving,” says Lisa(Daytime MBA ’96). “It’s very motivating for us. They just need a bit of financial support to better their lot in life.”

The homes that the Mirmans construct are modest, about 500 square feet, with two bedrooms and one bathroom. In Colorado, Costa Rica, they are building a neighborhood of 103 homes. The Mirmans aren’t just looking to build houses and move on, though. Each home is the starting point for a new community.

To achieve that, they partnered with the Peace Corps, which delivers training, support, education, and community assessments for the new home owners. Programs are then implemented to help residents become self-sufficient.

“Costa Ricans are considered some of the happiest people in the world,” Lisa says. “They are also very receptive to education. They welcome volunteers who will help them learn English, job skills, etc. to take care of their families. It’s really humbling.”

The couple’s work in Costa Rica is possible due to their successful boutique real estate brokerage in Florida called Investments in Sarasota, which specializes in selling luxury, waterfront homes. The Mirmans say they avoided the effects of the real estate downturn by building trust with their clients. Lee (Daytime MBA ’95) explains that during the boom years, buyers were only looking for a clerk to execute a transaction. Afterwards, luxury buyers placed a premium on expert analysis to determine the validity of investments and to navigate the buying process, which became more complicated due to increased regulations.

“People we’re working with are very affluent, and they appreciate Lee’s ability to analyze,” Lisa says. “More fundamental than that is integrity. If something wasn’t a good investment, he’d tell people. He has clients with lots of loyalty because of that.”

About three years ago, the Mirmans developed an interest in venture philanthropy and began investigating emerging markets. One area that drew their interest was global, social housing. As they dug in more, they learned through the United Nations that governments in emerging countries find it less expensive to give away homes than to deal with the social problems emerging from urban slums, including increased health care costs, public safety and national security issues. In many of these areas, disease and violence are also a serious concern, and the disillusionment of people living in such conditions creates a fertile recruiting ground for drug cartels and terrorist organizations. At the same time, many living in these bleak conditions realize the way out, and that’s where the Mirmans come in.

“People who are living in these environments are banding together and trying to do things to create a community even though they don’t have a home yet. They want to instill responsibility, even in small things. They’ll put in the sweat equity to demonstrate they’ll be responsible after they receive a home,” says Lee.

In order to merely scratch the surface of the need for social housing, many countries, like Costa Rica, need additional cooperation and investment from the private sector. According to the government, Costa Rica has invested more than $700 million in social housing during the last 20 years. While the country is relatively small (4.5 million inhabitants), its social housing needs are a microcosm for the rest of the world. While Lee says that 46,000 units are needed in Costa Rica, it’s estimated more than 1 billion people live in urban slums worldwide.

“The ultimate goal as we build upon our success in Costa Rica is to work with governments throughout Latin America and to do this in multiple countries simultaneously,” Lee says. “With larger populations, there are bigger demands. In Brazil, it’s in the millions.”

IBM to invest $300 million, create 1,000 jobs in Costa Rica

Posted: Friday, July 01, 2011 – By Adam Williams
The investment is one of the largest here in the past decade.
U.S.-based technology giant IBM announced Thursday it will invest approximately $300 million over the next 10 years in a new information technology service center in Costa Rica. The center is expected to create an estimated 1,000 jobs by 2014.

President Laura Chinchilla said the IBM investment is one of the largest in the country in the past decade, and represents a vital step for her administration’s goal of achieving $9 billion in foreign direct investment by 2014. With FDI reaching $1.45 billion in 2010, Chinchilla set a goal of $1.95 billion for 2011.

“As president, my main priority is to propel Costa Rica toward development, improving its competitiveness and guiding it toward innovation through high technology, and generating employment opportunities with higher added value,” Chinchilla said Thursday morning. “The decision of IBM is a very positive sign that we are moving in the right direction. Costa Rica is welcoming new opportunities to continue developing the talent of our workers and motivating our youth in school.”

According to the Costa Rican Investment Board, in 2010 there were 210 foreign-owned companies operating in the country, generating 58,472 jobs.

Don Nicolas Project

The Vega family, who have been homeless since the Cinchona earthquake, and now will enjoy Christmas this year in their own home.

Don Nicolas Project is located in San Juan Sur de Poas.

The project provides safe, clean housing for 36 families who lost their homes in the Cinchona earthquake.

Proyecto Don Edwin

“I still wake up in the morning and I can not believe I live in my own house with my daughters”

-Mrs. Marlen Lopez.

The recently inaugarated Don Edwin project is a model example of Social Housing in Costa Rica, providing 205 homes for families in the Atlantic region. In the Don Edwin project 74% of households are headed by women, who are engaged in farming and business operations in the area. The project is located in the Barrio El Molino, where the beneficiaries have access to churches, health services and trade.

The Don Edwin project has strong infrastructure, roads and waste systems built in, as well as 3 playgrounds, 2 meetinghouses and an area set aside for reforestation and protection.

Costa Rica President, Laura Chinchilla declared Don Edwin open, and said “”This is a beautiful project, which should be very careful because it is part of the future of their children. Also arrange to develop a network of care in this area.”

Housing minister Irene Campos said: “For the government, is of great satisfaction to contribute to the development and welfare of the families of the Atlantic, this will continue to do through the housing and community programs with a holistic view of habitat.”

Honduras: Intermac

Inter-Mac, an affiliate of American real estate firm Clark Realty Capital, provides a unique workforce homeownership initiative designed for developing economies.

This project is not only a sound and financially lucrative investment, but a project with huge social impact as well. Please watch their video to gain an idea of the scope and potential of projects like these.

 

The inaugural project under the program, a 3,500-home community called Los Castaños de Choloma, is successfully underway in Honduras with the support of the Honduran government.

Constructed by HOLA Realty, the community brings essentials such as paved roads, running water, electricity, and sewer connections to families who may not have previously enjoyed these basic comforts. The gated community provides a truly safe and secure atmosphere for families to thrive, with plans in progress for a centrally-located community playground, bus terminal, and school.

Lee Mirman Meets with Costa Rica Minister of Housing

Lee Mirman, met last week with Irene Campos, Costa Rican Minister of Housing, cementing their commitment to working together on the Global Social Housing project.

Lee Mirman with Housing Minister Irene Campos and Dr Tomas Vrana of Moravia Capital

The government of Costa Rica is strongly committed to supporting projects for social housing, backing all donations to projects of this kind with a cast iron guarantee.

The Global Social Housing model addresses the need for homes for some of the more than 40,000 families facing homelessness in Costa Rica, and will vastly reduce costs of providing social assistance for Costa Rica’s government.

Mr Mirman said: “Ms Campos’ help has been invaluable in pushing forward the project.  Global Social Housing  are thrilled to have the Costa Rica Government’s support in achieving their charitable goals within the country.”

Lee Mirman with Juan De Dios Rojas of BAHNVI and Dr Tomas Vrana of Moravia Capital

Global Social Housing are ready to begin building, with the Peace Corps on board to manage the new communities, and the backing of the Costa Rica National Mortgage Bank of Housing (BANHVI). Over the last twenty years BANHVI has funded $700 million in housing solutions and has allocated $130 million for social housing developments for 2010.”

For more information about the Colorado Project please contact lee@globalsocialhousing.org

To see successfully completed projects backed by BANHVI please click here.

To watch Lee Mirman’s presentation before Congress as a “Hero of Small Business” click here .