In keeping with its plan to ensure all Guyanese can access affordable housing, the Ministry of Housing and Water’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) launched its Home Construction Assistance Programme in Region Three on Friday.
In a press release, the CH&PA said scores of residents turned out at the Leonora Track and Field Facility on Friday to witness the event.
The release explained that the programme, the brainchild of President Irfaan Ali, is designed to assist Guyanese families who own government or private lands, with access to financing and to be able to build their own homes. Through the programme applicants can select from three pre-designed housing models ($7 million, $9 million and $12 million) and pre-qualify for loans with financial institutions. Those on board include Republic Bank Limited-Guyana, Citizens Bank, and the New Building Society. The homes will be built by contractors and monitored by CP&HA engineers for quality control.
Present at the launch was Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal; Chief Executive Officer, Central Housing and Planning Authority, Sherwyn Greaves; Director of Operations, Denise King-Tudor, along with technical staff.
In his remarks, the Housing minister stated, “Our goal as a Government is to ensure that all of our citizens have proper access to housing. We understand the many difficulties that you encounter and this programme provides an avenue to bridge that gap.”
Croal also disclosed that in addition to the Home Construction Assistance Programme, several other projects are in motion that will catapult the region’s housing sector.
During the launch, several contractors in the region who had expressed interest in building the homes registered with the ministry’s database. This will boost the regional economy and create employment for residents in the area, the release stated.
Close to $4 billion in infrastructure works are ongoing in several housing schemes. The bidding process is also ongoing for the construction of a new four-lane highway from Schoonord, West Bank Demerara, to Crane, West Coast Demerara, which will unlock lands for new housing and commercial developments. It was also announced that construction for the first 500 homes in Region Three is expected to commence soon.
During the launch, residents lauded the government’s effort to make homeownership more attainable.
“It’s a great initiative because right now for me we’re paying rent and it’s very expensive,” expressed Shavannah Sugrim, a mother of two, who was able to pre-qualify with one of the financial institutions. Her spouse, Royan Sugrim, also echoed similar sentiments, as he noted that they are looking forward to providing a safer shelter for their children.
And single mother of four, Shellon Castello, stated, “It’s a very good initiative especially for single parents […] I’ve been waiting for a while now to build my own house so it’s a good thing for the assistance we’re receiving.”
After receiving her land in 2013 and encountering a number of difficulties constructing her home, Shamkumarie Persaud, also stated that she was pleased with the initiative. She has now been pre-qualified for a mortgage with the New Building Society.
The Home Construction Assistance Programme has also been launched in regions Four, Six, and Ten.
