$600M Housing Support Programme launched as “Dream Realised” Housing Drive returns to Lethem

– 1st-time allottees identified house lots

Scores of residents have turned out as the Housing and Water Ministry through the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) hosted its second “Dream Realised” Housing Drive at the regional office in Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) on Friday.

The Lethem Housing Support Programme, which was announced last month by President Dr Irfaan Ali, was also launched at the event.
Subject Ministers Collin Croal and Susan Rodrigues, along with Chief Executive Officer of CH&PA Sherwyn Greaves, Regional Chairman, Brian Allicock and Mayor of Lethem, John Macedo, were all present at the event.
By the end of the day, the Ministry expected to allocate some 200 house lots to residents. A number of Land Titles were also be distributed throughout the day.
Through the Lethem Housing Support Programme, hundreds of persons will be able to pre-qualify with banking institutions on the spot.

The agency will be constructing a $3 million low-income home and providing $1 million in support to each beneficiary for the building costs.
Moreover, the Ministry will be partnering with the New Building Society (NBS) and the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI), as they will be offering loans to the tune of $2 million, at a rate of 3.5 per cent to persons interested in the initiative.
This will see approximately 600 land allottees in the region benefitting. With support provided by the Government, the allottees will not be required to provide collateral to the banks.

The homes will be built using labour from the region and well as materials.
Meanwhile, as persons gathered at the Lethem Regional Housing Office, awaiting the allocation of a house lot, another batch was at the Tract ‘CHPA’ Lethem Housing Scheme commonly known as Poke Bridge, identifying their respective lots.
The ecstatic bunch was joined by Ministers Croal and Rodrigues and family members as they saw their lots for the first time.
The lot identification exercise was spearheaded by Surveyors of Central Housing and Planning Authority, Planning Department.

The first-time allottees all expressed a sense of relief and satisfaction now that they have been able to see their lands. For some, the exercise was a means of sealing the deal for them as many of them have already paid, but were anxiously waiting to identify their boundary lines and place name poles.
The scheme will soon be home to some 600 families as first phase infrastructure works are ongoing to the tune of $538 million.
Already the scheme has been outfitted with a road and drainage network and concrete culverts.