Assessment of the Effect of Government Interventions in Improving Residential Housing Conditions in Waterfront Communities in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The study assessed the effectiveness of government interventions (housing policies and programmes) in improving residential housing conditions in waterfront communities in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with a view to addressing housing inadequacy. Through a stratified random sampling method, 399 respondents were surveyed. The results were analyzed using frequency count, mean score and relative index while Kruskal Wallis H-test was conducted to test the significance of the effect of government housing policies and programmes in improving residential housing conditions in Port Harcourt. The study revealed that government housing programmes have improved access to basic infrastructure (4.15), government improves waterfront areas through redevelopment programmes with mean of (4.10) and government regulations have improved compliance with building standards (4.06). The results also showed that government intervention has a huge influence on residential housing conditions in Port Harcourt waterfronts. However, the effectiveness of housing policies and programmes was found to be moderate, with improvements recorded mainly in infrastructure provision and building quality. The study concludes that while government interventions have contributed to improvements in residential housing conditions, more coordinated, adequately funded, and effectively implemented strategies are required for a sustainable and better housing quality in Port Harcourt waterfronts. The study recommends that government should strengthen policy implementation and intensify slum upgrading programmes to ensure effective monitoring, enforcement, and sustainability of housing programmes in waterfront settlements.