The Ministry of Housing and Water yesterday announced that applications are once again being considered for core home support and home improvement subsidies.
The initiative is part of the Inter-American Development Bank-funded US$28 million Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP) and is aimed at improving the lives of urban and peri-urban citizens through access to better housing and basic infrastructure.
The call for applications is being made for the second phase of the five year programme, which will see an additional 150 core homes being constructed and 1764 subsidies delivered.
One hundred persons already benefited from the first tranche through which homes are being constructed at Sophia, in Greater Georgetown, and La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD), while a total of 236 home improvement subsidies were also distributed.
Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal yesterday told a media briefing that the project is timely because it is also part of an intervention to reduce housing instability that has challenged many of communities and particularly vulnerable households. “Inadequate housing is often linked to homelessness, abuse of all kinds, neglect, high rates of absenteeism even from work as well as from the children’s perspective school and as a result you have low result from their overall performance at school,” he explained.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Water Andre Ally said US$10 million, which is 36 per cent of the overall project cost, is allotted towards building of core house and for home improvement subsidies.
The amount, he said, would be split equally, with US$5 million being towards the construction of the 250 core houses, valued at US$20,000 or $4 million each, and the remainder being allocated for the home improvement subsidies, each valued US$2,500 or $500,000.
The core homes are single-family homes with concrete blocks for the outer walls and floors, basic doors, windows, electrical wiring, and water connections, among other things. These homes are designed to meet basic standards that a family can move into and affordably expand over time. The subsidies are intended for use for construction materials for repairs, electrical works and sanitation improvements and other non-cosmetic improvements.
Expanded boundary
The original boundary span of the project grew from Georgetown to Grove on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) up to La Bonne Intention (LBI) on the East Coast of Demerara and Westminster, Onderneeming, Recht-Door-Zee, Lust-en-Rust and La Parfaite Harmonie Phase Two on the West Bank of Demerara.
As a result of the inadequate number of applications received for the first tranche of funding, the IDB was approached and an expansion of the project boundary was sought and granted.
As a result, 19 other communities on the East Coast of Demerara between Mon Repos and Haslington were included.
The additional 19 communities had to be areas with low or moderate probability of flooding, fully serviced with water, electricity or roads and with an occupancy level of the community of at least 70 per cent before they were selected.
Additionally, the areas had to be connected to the Sheriff/Mandela Avenue road network, which is the axis of the intervention for the AHUAP.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Planning and Housing Authority (CH&PA) Sherwyn Greaves, who also spoke at the briefing, urged low income allottees and home owners within the boundary to take full advantage of the opportunity to improve their housing conditions.
“With the disbursement of the home improvement subsidies and core homes support, we expect that the quality of Guyana housing will improve, property value will increase and wealth will be generated,” Greaves said.
Applicants must be a citizen of Guyana residing in the project areas, must be at least 21 years old and must also be the owner of a property either holding an agreement of sale, transport or a certificate of the title to land who have completed payment for the cost of the house lot.
Applications can be uplifted free of cost at all local authorities within the project boundary and at the CH&PA offices in Regions 3 and 4.
Persons can also apply online via the CH&PA website https://chpa.gov.gy/.
A new CH&PA sub-office was set up on Camp Street, Georgetown where applicants will be interviewed. On the spot interviews will be conducted once the applicants present all the relevant documents while interviews for online applicants will be scheduled.
Applications are being accepted until February, 2022.
