Home Construction Assistance Programme Launched in Region Three

Region Three residents turned out in their numbers at the launch of the programme on Friday

On Friday, several residents in Region Three turned out at the Leonora Track and Field Facility, as the Housing and Water Ministry– Central Housing and Planning Authority launched the Home Construction Assistance Programme in the region.

It was noted that the initiative is the brainchild of President Irfaan Ali and is designed to assist Guyanese families, who own government or private lands to access financing and building their homes. “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,” Minister Collin Croal said.

The ministry said that through the programme applicants can select from three pre-designed housing models ($7M, $9M and $12M) 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 engineers of the Central Housing and Planning Authority for quality control. During the launch several contractors in the region, who expressed interest in building the homes registered with the Ministry’s database. This, the ministry said will boost the regional economy and create employment for residents in the area.

Minister Croal pointed out that in addition to the Home Construction Assistance Programme several other projects are in motion that will catapult the region’s housing sector. As such, close to $4B 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. Minister Croal also announced that construction for the first 500 homes in Region Three is expected to commence soon.

It was revealed that during the launching on Friday, 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 Mrs. Shavannah Sugrim, a mother of two. Sugrim who was able to pre-qualify with one of the financial institutions. Her spouse, Mr. Royan Sugrim also shared similar sentiments, as he noted that they are looking forward to providing a safer shelter for their children.

Minister Croal during Friday’s launch of the programme in Region Three

Meanwhile, single mother of four Ms. Shellon Castello disclosed, “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”. It was revealed that ater receiving her land in 2013 and encountering a number of difficulties constructing her home, Ms. Shamkumarie Persaud, also stated that she was pleased with the initiative. Ms. Persaud has now been pre-qualified for a mortgage with the New Building Society.

The ministry said that the Home Construction Assistance Programme has also been launched in Region Four, Region Six and Region Ten. Along with Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal; Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, Mr. Sherwyn Greaves; Director of Operations, Mrs. Denise King-Tudor and technical staff were present at the launch.