Young people praise Government for life transforming allocation
GROUND-BREAKING, life-changing and transformational, were just a few of the words used by some of the hundreds of new house lot recipients to describe the impact of  last Friday’s ‘One Stop Shop’ at the Uitvlugt Community Centre, West Coast Demerara in Region Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara).
Of the 500 applications that were processed, for middle and  low-income lots at Zeelugt, on East Bank Essequibo, 150 of those were allotted to young persons below the age of 30 years.
The fact that such single Guyanese men and women now have a chance at home ownership reaffirms the Government’s commitment to meeting the dream of every single Guyanese in owning a home and their recognition of the critical role that housing plays in transforming people’s lives, said minister with the portfolio, Mr. Irfaan Ali.
During the activity, he also reiterated the pledge of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) to increase and advance  social development of the country, through accessibility to basic facilities, including housing, education, sanitation, roads, water and electricity, without disparity.
According to Ali, this growth will be accelerated through the distribution of a further 500 lots in the existing Zeelugt Scheme, to cater for the demand in the region.
As to the extent of the investment already made in this regard, he stated: “If one is to look at the investment at Zeelugt, we would have invested more than $460M. It would bring benefits to almost 3,500 persons directly and, of course, if you look at the average cost per household, or house lot, we are talking about $650, 000.”
Housing is a major sector in Region Three and, over the past decade, more than $23 billion were invested in it, creating 23,000 lots and benefiting some 94,000 Guyanese.
However, for the recipients of the lots, the value of this investment supercedes the financial aspect, to include a more intrinsic benefit, an improved quality of life, said 22-year-old Randolph Chintamani.
“That moment when I collected the papers to show that I now own a house lot, I was really excited and happy. I am single and so, for me, this is just the push I need in life to get started,” he acknowledged.
Stake
Chintamani said that, as a result of the ‘One Stop Shop’ initiative of the Housing Ministry, it has now become easier for Guyanese, especially young persons to have a stake in their country, something that was unheard of in the past.
“Before this, young, single people did not meet the requirements or the criteria for this. Look at us now, in a few years from today, I will have a permanent place to call my home and for this I want to say thank you to this Government,” he remarked.
For 24-year-old Abigail Constantine, five years of waiting has culminated in an overwhelming day, at the end of which she was on her way to independence and home ownership.
She declared: “It was a big relief when I got the phone call … this is very good what the Government is doing for young people, a life-changing moment.”
Another recipient, Ercy Amsterdam, as well, expressed gratitude to the Government and the Ministry of Housing for giving young, single people a chance to improve their station in life.
The 34-year-old admitted that, as a result of her allocation, she can now start a family of her own.
According to the Chief Executive Officer at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Ms. Myrna Pitt, the consolidated partnership of public/private entities, has contributed greatly to the improvement of the quality of life for Guyanese, since home ownership and its benefits impact significantly on the social and economic life of the nation and on individuals.
Friday’s One Stop Shop was the eighth such hosted by the ministry for the year and accounts for in excess of 50 per cent of the ministry’s target for 2011.