Throughout history, families have migrated
Throughout history, families have migrated
Housing, Climate Resilience, and the Root Causes of Human Displacement
Throughout history, families have migrated in search of safety, opportunity, and a better future. While conflict and political instability remain important causes of displacement, millions of people are also affected by persistent poverty, inadequate housing, environmental degradation, and the growing impacts of climate change.
In many vulnerable communities, migration is not a first choice. It is often a response to years of deteriorating living conditions. When families face extreme heat, unsafe housing, repeated climate-related hazards, limited employment opportunities, and declining public health, many conclude that leaving their communities is their only remaining option.
This reality suggests that humanitarian action should not only respond to the consequences of displacement but also invest in reducing the conditions that contribute to it.
Climate-resilient housing is one component of that broader strategy.
Providing families with safe, durable, and energy-efficient homes can improve health, reduce household energy costs, strengthen resilience to extreme weather, and support more stable communities. When combined with local employment, community participation, education, and sustainable infrastructure, housing becomes more than shelter—it becomes a foundation for long-term development.
The ThermoHome initiative was conceived with this perspective. Its objective is not only to construct homes but to help create resilient communities where families have greater opportunities to remain safely in their places of origin if they choose to do so.
Community-based production of ThermoBlock materials can also generate local employment, develop technical skills, and strengthen regional economies. These outcomes contribute to reducing vulnerability while increasing community resilience.
Addressing the root causes of poverty requires long-term investment in people, communities, and resilient infrastructure. Preventive development complements humanitarian assistance by helping reduce future vulnerability before crises deepen.
This vision aligns with internationally recognized sustainable development principles, including reducing poverty, improving health, promoting sustainable communities, strengthening climate resilience, and building partnerships that support inclusive development.
The long-term objective is simple: to help ensure that families are not forced to leave their communities because safe housing, healthy living conditions, and opportunities for a dignified life are beyond their reach
Why This Initiative Was Created
Addressing the Root Causes of Poverty Through Climate-Resilient Housing
The ThermoBlock construction system and the ThermoHome humanitarian housing initiative were developed by Jose Cruz Agundiz Villela in response to a growing humanitarian challenge observed in the State of San Luis Potosí, Mexico: the intersection of extreme poverty, inadequate housing, worsening climate conditions, and preventable health risks.
For decades, thousands of families have continued living in homes built with improvised materials such as sheet metal, reeds, cardboard, wood, and other structures that provide little protection against extreme temperatures, heavy rains, humidity, insects, or disease. As climate change accelerates, these conditions become increasingly dangerous.
In municipalities such as Ciudad Fernández and throughout San Luis Potosí, extreme heat has become more frequent and more intense. During summer, indoor temperatures inside poorly insulated homes can exceed 50°C, exposing children, older adults, and vulnerable people to dehydration, heat stress, respiratory illness, cardiovascular strain, and other health risks. During the rainy season, moisture, mold, standing water, and insects further increase the likelihood of infectious diseases and unhealthy living conditions.
These circumstances create a cycle that extends far beyond inadequate housing. Families face higher energy costs, reduced productivity, poorer educational outcomes, worsening health, and limited opportunities for economic development. Poverty is therefore reinforced across generations.
This initiative was created with the conviction that dignified housing is not merely a construction project—it is a foundation for public health, social stability, climate resilience, and sustainable community development.
The ThermoBlock system was designed to help create ThermoHomes capable of maintaining healthier indoor temperatures, approximately 22–26°C under typical operating conditions, while significantly reducing the need for mechanical cooling and lowering household energy consumption. By improving thermal comfort and resilience, these homes seek to provide families with safer, healthier, and more sustainable living environments.
The broader vision is to build complete resilient communities where families can live with dignity, children can grow in healthier conditions, women and vulnerable households gain greater security, and local employment is generated through community-based production and construction.
Ending poverty requires addressing its root causes. Safe housing, healthy environments, climate adaptation, and community development must advance together.
This proposal therefore supports the vision embodied in the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, while also contributing to goals related to poverty reduction, health, clean energy, climate action, and partnerships.
The objective is simple yet ambitious: to help transform vulnerable settlements into resilient communities where every family has the opportunity to live in a safe, healthy, energy-efficient home, creating stronger foundations for future generations.
Proponent International Institutional Credentials
Registry Mandatory Signature
Founder Owner & Director
Jose Cruz Agundiz Villela
Agundiz Design S.C.
Developer of:
- ThermoBlock®
- ThermoHome®
- Vivienda Comunitaria Resiliente
Civil Society Organization – Asociación de la Sociedad Civil
RFC (Mexico Federal Taxpayer Registry): AUVC680503I51
Email:
- agundizinc@gmail.com
- agundizdesign@gmail.com
- agundizdesign@live.com
Official Page Blogs
- Agundiz WordPress
- https://agundiz.wordpress.com/2026/07/25/757/
- Agundiz Organization Blog
- https://agundizorg.blogspot.com/2026/07/adsc-governance-policy-national.html
- https://agundizorg.blogspot.com/2026/07/vivienda-comunitaria-resiliente.html
- BetterWorld Donate Page
- http://Agundizj.betterworld.org/donate
- Support this Foundation
- https://pay.ecart.com/payment_link/6a0a1f1807e87508269a3536
Comments
Post a Comment