Twenty-eight families from the West Bank Demerara in Region Three and the East Bank and East Coast of Demerara in Region Four, are the latest to receive brand-new core homes under the Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP).
The keys were presented to the new homeowners yesterday afternoon by Minister of Housing, Collin Croal; Minister within the Ministry, Vanessa Benn; and Country Representative of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Lorena Solórzano-Salazar.
Funded by the IDB, the AHUAP Core Homes Support Initiative is designed to provide safe and affordable housing for about 300 vulnerable households, a release from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) said.
Beneficiaries were selected during the programme’s open application phase, which has since concluded. To date, 176 homes have been handed over, including those presented yesterday. Each core home is 400 square feet and features two bedrooms, kitchen area and washroom facilities. Beneficiaries provide $100,000 toward the construction.
For many recipients, homes represent a long-awaited new beginning. According to the release, Cindy Sookhoo shared that the new home will greatly improve her standard of living. “I am living […], at the back of the premises, but the home is falling apart,” Sookhoo stated. She said that the new home will provide a much needed upgrade to her standard of living.
Another recipient, Sharon Shepherd, has been living with relatives and friends and is happy to receive her own home. “I won’t have any more problems at nobody house or anything. I’m so happy I have my house to move in,” Shepherd said, adding that she now looks forward to reuniting with her son, who is staying with another individual.
Lynette James said that the home will make a meaningful difference for her and her sons. “It will be a tremendous change because we will be having our own little cozy home. So, I’m happy about it and I know they too will be happy,” said James.
Delivering the address at the event, Croal reaffirmed government’s commitment to ensuring that all citizens have access to sustainable and affordable housing.
“Housing is not a luxury, it’s a right, a fundamental right,” said the Minister.
“Our commitment [is] that every Guyanese must have access to adequate housing and to go with that, the improved living conditions, no matter the person’s background, their income or their circumstance,” he said.
Benn encouraged the families to take pride in maintaining their new homes. “It is where you are starting afresh. You’re stepping up from your current circumstances and it’s going to help you to build,” said Minister Benn. She also noted that the homes were designed to allow for future expansion as families grow.
Solórzano-Salazar emphasized the IDB’s ongoing partnership with the government to bridge housing gaps among low-income families. She said that the programme promotes not only access to safe homes but also supports broader socio-economic benefits; and commended the government for ensuring that no Guyanese is left behind in the national housing drive.
The $5.8 billion AHUAP comprises three components: Affordable and Sustainable Housing, Consolidation of Existing Housing Schemes, and Institutional Strengthen-ing. The initiative encompasses Georgetown to Grove on the East Bank Demerara, Haslington on the East Coast Demerara, and several West Bank Demerara communities including Westminster, Onderneeming, Recht-Door-Zee, Lust-en-Rust, and Parfaite Harmonie Phase II.
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