The government is set to embark on the construction of an additional 2, 000 low-income homes in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) by the end of 2024, in response to the growing demand for affordable housing.
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali made this announcement during an engagement with residents at the Uitvlugt Community Centre on Thursday.
President, Mohamed Irfaan Ali.
He was accompanied by Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal and Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand.
The activity which was organised by the Ministry of Housing and Water, saw some 32 families being pre-qualified for low-income units to be constructed at Anna Catherina and Leonora.
“We are doing an aggressive housing programme in Region Three,” President Ali underscored.
While the government continues its house lot allocation exercise, President Ali has emphasised that the administration is actively transitioning towards the construction of housing units to address the growing demands.
“We are moving to home construction because we have seen the economies of scale and we are able to deliver a house to you,” he said.
The head of state pointed out that many individuals favour this approach due to the numerous challenges they encounter with contractors, transportation, and overseeing their home construction.
“So really, the government has taken on this responsibility of building the homes…the homes are built at a much less cost than if you were building it individually,” he pointed out.
The banks and the contractors were actively present to aid individuals in their pre-qualification process on-site
President Ali noted that once this process is over, some people can immediately move into their new homes.
“Our position is to have some persons move immediately into their homes because some are already completed…Based on the individual needs, some persons can move into their homes within a month to a month and a half,” he said.
President Ali reiterated his government’s commitment to collaborating with citizens to guarantee an enhanced quality of life for all.
In July of last year, the CHPA and Republic Bank signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to finance the construction of 500 low-income houses in Region Three.
In May this year, Minister Croal visited Leonora, Edinburg, and Cornelia Ida to inspect the construction of the initial 154 homes within these housing developments.
The 20 x 30 (625 square feet) two-bedroom flat units cost $5.5 million each, including the cost of the land.
Simultaneously, infrastructure development is ongoing in the housing schemes where the homes are being constructed. These include the construction of road networks, bridges, culverts and utility networks.
This year, some $15.47 billion in contracts were signed for infrastructure development works at Meten-Meer-Zorg Phase Three, Stewartville East and West, and Leonora Phase Two. (DPI)
