…targeting 250 core houses
…$500,000 subsidy for each of 2,000 households
…major road works on the cards

PERSONS living on or below the poverty line within sections of Regions Four and Three will have the opportunity to apply for core homes or housing subsidies from Thursday as the Ministry of Communities rolls out its US$27M Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme.

The programme, which spans from La Bonne Intention (LBI) on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) to Georgetown to Great Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) and La Parfaite Harmonie on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD), is being implemented by Ministry of Communities through the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) with funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

In making the announcement on Tuesday at CH&PA’s Brickdam Headquarters, Minister within the Ministry of Communities with responsibility for housing, Valerie Adams-Yearwood, said the Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme birthed out of a reformulation of a loan originally intended for the Road Network Upgrade and Expansion Programme.

It was explained that the Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme has three components – Affordable and Sustainable Housing; Consolidation of existing Housing Schemes; and Support and Institutional Strengthening.

It is under the Affordable and Sustainable Housing component that US$5M has been earmarked for a Home Improvement Subsidy Programme which will see 2,000 persons accessing as much as $500,000 to rehabilitate their homes. Under that component as well, another US$5M has been budgeted for the construction of 250 core homes within the outlined areas. Applications will be opened on November 1, 2018 up until February 1, 2019.

Minister Yearwood told reporters that while CH&PA built core houses before, this batch would be of a higher quality and will be built using concrete.

250 Core Homes
Deputy Director of Community Development, Donnel Bess-Bascom, explained that under the core homes support programme, low income households that were allocated house lots by CH&PA will be targeted.

“In order to qualify for such a programme, the person or household must be occupying their allocated low income lot. They must be the legitimate owner of that lot, and this must be verified by the necessary documentation…The household must have completed payment for that lot, and the applicant must be at least 18-years of age,” Bascom explained.

She added that the programme targets households that are occupying their low-income lots but are living in buildings that do not meet habitable requirements such as shacks. Preference will also be given to persons with disabilities who meet the requirements. The core houses will be constructed at the size of no less 330 square feet, and the design will be expandable and will include a sanitary block.

The deputy director of community development stated once a person has been selected to benefit from the core homes support programme, that household will be required to make an equity share contribution of Guy$100,000. According to her, the rest of the cost of the home will be covered under the programme.

Bascom noted that 50 per cent of the equity would be required within the first month of approval while the second half will be required within the first three months. Each of the 250 core homes is expected to cost $4M. Beneficiaries will be required to occupy their core homes within one month of receipt of the keys, and would be required to dismantle the building they were occupying.

Processing of the applications and procurement of materials will take approximately eight months.

2,000 Home Improvement Subsidies
The Home Improvement Subsidy Programme, similarly, targets low income households including single parent households.

“This is intended for home owners in the project area. Unlike the Core Homes Support Programme, the home improvement subsidy is not limited to housing areas that have been developed by the Central Housing and Planning Authority. It is opened to all low income housing areas that fall within the project scope,” she explained.

Bascom noted that the other requirements are similar to those established for the Core Homes Support Programme. “The Home Improvement Subsidy basically provides a subsidy of up to $500,000 in building materials to effect repairs, improvement extensions to an existing building. The programme will provide the materials and the beneficiary household will be required to provide 100 per cent of the labour to effect the improvement works,” she further explained.

The types of improvements eligible include: repairs to roofs, walls, floors including the completion of wet areas, improvements of earthen or wooden floors, and replacement of walls with more durable materials and expansion of homes in cases of overcrowding.
Households that would have benefited from two or more subsidies under IDB financed programmes with the CH&PA will not be eligible for either of the two programmes.

Infrastructural Development
Director of Projects Omar Narine, disclosed that under the Consolidation of existing Housing Schemes Component, US$16M has been budged to develop low income communities regulated by CH&PA.

“We are planning to upgrade 34km of asphaltic roads, 20km of drainage improvements including the construction of concrete drains where necessary, and 8km of sidewalks,” Narine said as he outlined the scope of works. This component will also see the installation of 10km of solar integrated street lights and the construction of eight recreational facilities.
This component will first be rolled out in the Sophia Housing Scheme and then spread to other low income communities within the programme boundary.

The director of projects explained that CH&PA had been working earnestly to have the criteria approved by the IDB and the Ministry of Finance. The IDB has recently granted it’s no objection for the procurement process to be launched.

“Within a week that process will be launched inviting contractors through an international bidding process where contactors from the country, region and international community will take part in a competitive bidding process,” he posited.

The advertisement, inviting contractors to bid for the project, will be launched on the United Nations (UN) Business Development website, and in the local newspapers. Works under the Consolidation of existing Housing Schemes Component are expected to start within the first quarter of 2019, Narine said.

US$1M will be used for institutional strengthening. CH&PA Chief Executive Officer Lelon Saul was among officials present.