CH&PA reopens applications for core home support, home improvement subsidies

The Housing and Water Ministry on Friday through the Central Housing & Planning Authority (CH&PA) officially reopened applications for Core Home Support and Home Improvement Subsidies, under the Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP).
This announcement was made at a press conference on Friday, where Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal said that the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) funded programme, is intended to improve the lives of low-income Guyanese in urban and peri-urban Georgetown, through better access to housing and basic infrastructure.

“The interventions that are being made are intended to target the poor and the vulnerable. This is timely, as it is also part of the means of reducing the incidence of housing instability that challenges many of our communities,” the Minister is quoted as saying.
He further stated that inadequate housing is also linked to homelessness, abuse, setbacks in educational development and school drop-outs. Minister Rodrigues shared similar sentiments, as she stated that the Ministry is not only focused on the distribution of house lots but also promoting homeownership, as Government remains committed to developing sustainable low-income housing solutions.
The budget for the two aspects of the project is US$10 million – US$5 million for the Home Improvement Subsidies and US$5 million for Core Home Support. The Home Improvement Subsidies will be a $500,000 grant in the form of construction materials for repairs to walls, floors, electrical works and sanitation improvements and other non-cosmetic improvements that are consistent with the programme’s objectives.

Home improvement subsidies
Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of CH&PA, Sherwyn Greaves noted that some 2000 Home Improvement Subsidies have been earmarked under the programme. During the first leg of the programme, 236 subsidies were approved for 118 residents in Sophia, Georgetown, and 118 La Parfaite Harmonie residents, leaving room for an additional 1764 eligible applicants to now benefit.
Through the Core Home Support initiative, 250 core homes are expected to be built. One hundred applications have so far been approved and contracts recently signed for the construction of fifty (50) of these homes. The core homes will be no less than 400 square feet single-family homes with concrete blocks for outer walls and floors, basic doors, windows, electrical wiring, water connections etc. The homes are designed to meet basic standards that a family can move into and affordably expand over time.
Applications are open from November 5, 2021, to February 7, 2022.