“Dream Realised” housing initiative: 1000 low-income house lots distributed in Region 4

…low-income housing is a pillar of development – Croal on subsidised lots

It was an emotional day for a number of persons when the Housing and Water Ministry took its flagship “Dream Realised” housing initiative to the National Stadium, Providence, to allocate 1000 house lots.
The two-day event commenced on Monday and will conclude today with 334 persons receiving their land titles as well.

The lots were allocated for Block 18, Plantation Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD), which was tailored to specifically target low-income earners.
Junior Housing Minister Susan Rodrigues said that the low-income bracket is as important as those in the higher brackets when it comes to accessing house lots, adding that the Ministry will continue to ensure that they are benefitting. She explained that 75 per cent of the allotees are from the low-income bracket.
“Sometimes the low-income earners tend to be forgotten but today’s activity, today’s allocation exercise is solely for the purpose of low-income earners, for the households that need it the most. Your Government is here to support you. We can think of no better use for the land that we have made available,” she said.
Rodrigues said the one-year anniversary of the People’s Progressive Party Government is rapidly approaching and they are well within their promises of ensuring that 50,000 house lots are allocated during their five-year term.

“It shows the values that we have as a Government, it shows this is the priority. This is our priority and this is the legacy of our party and the legacy of our Government that we are always here to support the working class, and we are always ensuring that our policies are pro poor and always support vulnerable communities and people who need it the most. We’re always there to support families and ensuring and even more so in the housing and water sectors ensuring that we not just allocate land, but that we promote home ownership and that Guyanese can live in dignity knowing that the roofs over their heads is their own, that that they can go to sleep at nights with that security knowing that they own their own home and that they possess a document to prove their ownership,” the Minister told the gathering.
Taking a jab at the APNU/AFC Administration’s allocation record, Rodrigues said that by August 2, 2021 – the Irfaan Ali-led Government’s first anniversary – they would have allocated more lots than the David Granger Government did in its five years in power.

Restoring confidence
The Minister said that she hopes that the allocation drives act as a form of restoring the confidence of the Guyanese people in the Government and particularly the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).

“We are working to deliver for the people of our country because we understand the need, we understand the gap that has been left there and we have to fill that gap and we have to deliver for the people of our country. We know that the expectation is on us and we know that we have to deliver for the people of our country, and we have to demonstrate our commitment to distributing land equitably across all regions, across all racial divides, across all political affiliations,” she said.

Rodrigues, in an attempt to appease concerns of some communities about further opening their villages, said that the new infrastructure work will result in increased property value and increased business among other benefits.
She also spoke directly to those persons still waiting for their house lots, thanking them for their patience adding that they are working to ensure the backlog is addressed.

Backlog and 49,000 pending applications
As the population continues to grow and more people become eligible for house lots, more and more applications are being entered into the system. There has always been a backlog in the processing of those applications and according to Housing Minister Collin Croal, for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) alone there are 49,000 pending applications.
Of those applications there are 29,000 from low-income earners alone.
“So today’s allocations which amount to a 1000 will put a small dent in the backlog and for this let me thank the staff of the CHPA for implementing changes which have made the qualification process easier…The cost of these lots is heavily subsidised by the Government and at a minimum of $250,000.00 per lot, allotees will pay far below market prices for prime spots of land. Low-income housing for citizens is a pillar of development that is representative of the commitment of our Government to bettering the lives of all Guyanese, so I am extremely proud to be handing out these allocations today,” Croal said.

He added that in addition to the goal of delivering 10,000 house lots per annum, the Government is also constructing 500 low-income homes, explaining that the investments in developing communities is significant.
“On the East Bank corridor alone, works are ongoing at Providence, Prospect, Little Diamond and Great Diamond; the four-lane highway from Mandela to Eccles, the access bridge at Mocha and roads at Providence and Herstelling. These interventions to make life easier for citizens cost some $6,492,385,760. This together with the cost of similar works on the East Coast projects at Cummings Lodge, LBI, Mon Repos, Annandale, Vigilance, Bladen Hall and Strathspey amounts to a whopping $10,179,268,340 for Region Four. Additionally, the area for allocations over this 2-day event will see an investment of $2.2 billion in the new year,” he informed.
He added that similar investments are being made throughout the country to ensure that every Guyanese can access quality housing and house lots.