Housing inaccessibility plagues a significant portion of our small population. Despite remaining a fundamental right of every citizen, generations of families find themselves trapped in a vicious cycle of homelessness. Many end up squatting in shantytowns, tenement yards and other areas where resources necessary for comfortable living are not met.
Adequate housing answers questions of not only comfort and safety, but also questions of developmental opportunities that can aid in the breaking of intergenerational poverty and trauma. Many citizens are limited in their ability to access and maintain education, jobs and growth opportunities due to their precarious housing situation. So housing must be looked at as the foundation upon which true development can be fostered amongst citizens.
Currently, the still building COVID-19 pandemic is widening many of our economic and social gaps. The brunt of the consequences of these gaps are of course falling at the feet of those who are poor. With a burdened healthcare system, a struggling economy and the apathy of government leaders, many persons are struggling to stay safe and survive. Many have lost their source/s of income and exist in a more precarious position than they would have been previously. Jobs are in short supply, food prices are climbing, rents are due and people are steadily faced with the reality that the situation can become even more dire.
It is not a surprising development that many have taken to squatting on government and private lands. Thousands of persons have taken up residence as squatters in areas along the East Coast Demerara. Many of these residents are single parents with young children who if forced out, have nowhere to go. The answer should not be to force a vulnerable set of people out during a still building pandemic, but this is where we are. We have always fiercely defended our contempt for those who are poor.
The way, in which we treat the underprivileged amongst us, really is indicative of our collective humanity. Unfortunately, we for the most part continue to believe that poverty is an individual shortcoming rather than recognizing that our current economic system necessitates poor people. In this land of promised prosperity, the wealthy and the well aligned are seen as the only ones deserving of humanity and respect.
When cases of squatting are made public, there is the automatic response that they are land grabbers who must be forcibly removed. This is why there were largely no qualms about excessive police force that was used against residents and their young children. Many were assaulted with tear gas and rubber pellets. Land grabbing and squatting however are a separate thing. In framing squatters as land grabbers, compassion is seen as unwarranted for a people whose only crime lies in not possessing the necessary resources to own their own land and home.
The decision to squat is almost certainly not an easy one. Persons are very aware of how squatting can invite the ire of State and private owners along with the Police who act on their behalf. The threat is understood but the threat of homelessness for themselves and their family is much more severe. Persons do not end up squatting because they are greedy or lazy. The do so because of the economic violence and inequality they are faced with.
Majority of squatters do not wish to own the space they occupy nor do they see it as theft as their aim remains on the right to use and occupy land/property to fill their need for a home. Instead of punishing them, there must be focus on appropriately addressing the housing crisis. Where there is a need, there is a right.
The Ministry of Housing & Water is apparently facilitating meetings to begin the process of house lot applications for those who have been squatting along the EBD. This might on the surface seem to be addressing the issue of housing inaccessibility. However, as many residents who have applied many years ago have told it, the land allocation system in Guyana is one that is paved with stress and uncertainty.
For many, the dream of acquiring land will unfortunately remain just that, a dream. Even for those who are able to acquire land, inaccessibility to a stable income and building loans often results in them being unable to build. Loans are even more difficult to get if one is of African descent.
Caroline Shenaz Hossein, in a study conducted in Guyana titled, “The Exclusion of Afro-Guyanese Hucksters in Micro-Banking,” explored the systemic reasons behind the difficulties Afro-Guyanese face in getting home loans through conventional banking and other financial services. In the paper, she argues, “Micro-Banking managers and staff hold onto historically rooted prejudices which interfere with the allocation of loans.” Race, class and gender bias, she found also intertwined to deny poor Afro-Guyanese women loans.”
Poverty is cyclical. Inaccessibility to housing often results in the perpetuation of intergenerational poverty and limits citizens’ ability to provide and access developmental opportunities. We must move away from the ideology of punishing those who are poor and instead seek out ways of collective empowerment and growth.
