The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) has announced that 21 of the 25 core homes under construction on the West Bank of Demerara are between 50-100% completed.
The homes are being constructed under the Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP) in the communities of Lust-en-Rust, Onderneeming, La Parfait Harmonie, Recht-Door-Zee and Westminster.
According to the Housing Authority, the structures are no less than 400 square feet single-family homes with concrete blocks for the outer walls and floors, basic doors, windows, electrical wiring and water connections among other features. It added that the homes are designed to meet basic standards that a family can move into and affordably expand over time.
“All beneficiaries are persons who possess ownership of the land and are required to pay an equity share contribution of $100,000. By February 2022 all works are expected to be completed. The construction of these homes follow the inking of $65,138,832 in contracts last August between the Central Housing & Planning Authority (CH&PA) and two contractors,” CH&PA said.
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is funding the project which aims to assist vulnerable persons who are living in “poor structures considered to be uninhabitable.”
CH&PA said that $98,920,225 in contracts were also awarded under the second component of AHUAP – Home Improvement Subsidies. It explained that the Home Improvement Subsidy is a $500,000 grant in the form of building materials for repairs to walls, floors, electrical works and sanitation improvements, among others.
The application process for both AHUAP components – Home Improvement Subsidy and core homes – have been reopen-ed until February 07, 2022 and encompasses the communities of Westminster, Onderneeming, Recht-Door-Zee, Lust en Rust, and Parfaite Harmonie Phase II on the West Bank of Demerara. The applications can be accessed on the CH&PA’s website.
It added that in Region Four the boundary spans from George-town to Grove on the East Bank of Demerara; from Georgetown to La Bonne Intention (LBI) on the East Coast of Demerara and 19 other select communities from LBI to Hope.
The housing body reminded that $867 million has been invested in upgrading the infrastructure in the communities.
“These works include the upgrading of 9.14 kilometers of roads, construction of 49 reinforced concrete culverts, cleaning of 34.5 kilometers of earthen drains, construction of 2 meters of reinforced concrete drains and 0.5 meters in concrete sidewalks. This is also an IDB funded project. Six plantations under the La Parfaite Harmonie cluster are slated to benefit, namely: Schoonord, La Parfaite Har-monie, Westminster, Onder-neeming, Recht-Door-Zee and Lust-en-Rust,” the housing authority related.
