$51.5M multipurpose facility commissioned at Sophia

– 6 families receive core homes
– 130 residents to benefit from home improvement subsidies

The Housing and Water Ministry through the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) on Friday commissioned a $51.5 million multipurpose facility at Sophia, Greater Georgetown.
In addition, six families have received keys for their brand-new core homes, valued at approximately $4 million each; while 22 Home Improvement Subsidy beneficiaries were presented their completion certificates. Each subsidy is no more than $500,000 for building materials to enhance their homes.
These initiatives were executed under the US$28 million Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP), funded by the Inter-American Bank (IDB).

At the commissioning ceremony were Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal, Minister within the Housing Ministry Susan Rodrigues, CH&PA Chief Executive Officer Sherwyn Greaves, and IBD Country Representative (ag) Lorena Solórzano-Salazar.
Minister Croal, in his address, stated that the project is designed to improve the lives of low-income Guyanese in urban and peri-urban Georgetown. This is done through the provision of better access to housing and basic infrastructure. The Minister underscored that over $942 million has been expended thus far in Sophia, including the new core homes and commissioned facility.
“We want to ensure that the area you live in is an environment that is healthy and safe for your families…We want the upliftment of our country and our people and you must feel it, you must feel that you are a part of this beautiful country called Guyana,” he expressed.
Minister Rodrigues also noted that the Government will work to ensure that the negative stigma attached to Sophia is removed by transforming the community through infrastructure, providing job opportunities, and more sustainable housing options.
“Sophia has changed remarkably…It has improved tremendously over the years and now that you have a Government that is accelerating development, we want to see Sophia change even more and we want everybody in here to be able to have equal access to Government services and to have their quality of life improved,” she affirmed.
The core homes are single-family units measuring about 400 square feet, with concrete blocks for outer walls and floors, basic doors, windows, electrical wiring, and water connections among other utilities.
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.
Meanwhile, the multipurpose facility, which was constructed using labour from the area, is a concrete structure measuring approximately 30 ft x 50 feet. Works were also done for the upgrading of the playground, playpen area, part pavilion, basketball court, construction of a fence, and the installation of solar street lights. It will serve all areas within the boundaries of Sophia. Minister Croal urged the management committee of the multipurpose facility to ensure it is managed properly and utilised for social, educational, and economic activities.
Some 50 Sophia residents have been selected to benefit from the core home initiative, including 31 female-headed households. This represents 20 per cent of the overall 250 homes being built in different communities in Regions Three and Four.
The other 44 homes are at varying stages of completion. Further, some 130 Sophia residents will also benefit from a total of 2000 home improvement subsidies. So far, 111 residents have received the materials, 35 have completed works and another 76 persons are currently executing works.
Approximately 17.5 km roads were upgraded to asphaltic concrete, 1.8 km of drains built, 2 km of sidewalks were constructed, 155 concrete culverts built, 100 solar/LED lights installed and macro and micro drains cleaned, among other initiatives.