Reviews the nature of housing microcredit products that are currently being offered by microfinance organizations. The cases reviewed were selected to illustrate a range of approaches and broad geographic coverage. Section I includes a Synthesis that is subdivided into four parts which aim to:

Section II comprises Regional Summaries and Case Studies for South and South-East Asia, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Each summary introduces the critical land, shelter, and infrastructure problems and challenges in the region, and describes innovative housing microfinance initiatives in operation. The summaries are followed by detailed case studies selected to illustrate specific aspects of the housing microfinance industry in each region. Six cases are covered in detail: Grameen Bank in Bangladesh; SEWA Bank in India; the Center for Agricultural Development (CARD) and Payatas Scavengers' Association in the Philippines; the South African Homeless People Association; and Genesis in Guatemala.

Section III includes an extensive Annex consisting of a bibliography and list of references, and a comparative table highlighting similarities and differences among the six regional case studies, plus a synopsis briefly describing other examples of microfinance initiatives.