13 Sophia families receive keys to new core homes

Thirteen families from Sophia, Georgetown have each received the keys to their spanking new core homes, marking another promise delivered by the Housing Ministry.
The keys, along with electrical and termite treatment certificates, were handed over by Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, at a simple ceremony in Section ‘D’ Turkeyen, Sophia.
Present at that ceremony were the following persons: Deputy Director of Community Development at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), Donell Bess-Bascom, and technical staff attached to the CHPA.
The homes were constructed through the US$28 million Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP) funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IBD) to improve the lives of low-income Guyanese in urban and peri-urban Georgetown through better access to housing and infrastructure.
Minister Rodrigues has said that projects such as this are important as they support the national housing programme and help to provide affordable housing for vulnerable families. She added that Government’s housing drive is placing emphasis on home construction.
“While you see a lot of attention being placed on house lot allocation, the focus is on home ownership, as it should be helping people to get into their own home,” she said.
Each core home is a single-family unit measuring about 400 square feet, with concrete blocks for outer walls and floors, basic doors, windows, electrical wiring, water connections and other amenities. The units are designed to meet basic standards that a family can move into and affordably expand over time.
Each beneficiary is only required to contribute a sum of $100,000 towards the cost of the home. The termite treatment certificate is valid for five years, while the electrical certificate is valid for 10 years.
“While you also see a lot of attention being paid to house lot allocation, the focus is on home ownership, as it should be… For those most vulnerable, we have this programme where your contribution of $100,000 goes a long way, and that is your equity contribution,” she explained.
Some $191.6 million was allotted for the construction of core homes in Sophia, and 80 beneficiaries were selected from the area. So far, 35 core homes have been constructed, with 21 already handed over.
One of the beneficiaries, Shirley Campbell, expressed her delight at now owning a new home. “I feel happy about everything, because I was frustrated…I feel extremely happy about everything, and by God’s grace, I would get the advantage of enjoying much of what I worked so hard for,” the elderly woman expressed.
A mother of five, Drupati Angad, also commented, “It means a lot, so I am thankful for it. I was living in a wood structure building, and rain used to wet we and it had a lot of holes in the house, so I am thankful for it.”