–103 Region 3 families among latest beneficiaries

ONE-hundred-and-three residents hailing from various housing areas in Region 3 were on Saturday officially presented with keys to their own homes, courtesy of the government-led Core Home Initiative.
This Initiative, which is being executed under the second phase of the Low-Income Settlement Programme (LIS 2), targets single-parents, the differently able and the elderly.

Saturday’s presentation was done in Westminster Phase One; Recht-Door-Zee Phases One and Two; and Onderneeming, Phase One, all relatively new communities within the Parfaite Harmonie Housing Scheme on the West Bank of Demerara.
Prior to heading to Linden on other government-related business, President Donald Ramotar paid a visit to the areas in question, and gave a commitment that this year, the LIS 2 programme will be further expanded to Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and the hinterland to further improve the lives of all Guyanese by ensuring they have the opportunity to own a home.

Commencing in 2010, applications were invited from interested allottees living in sub-standard housing, whether they have or have not occupied their house lots. A total of 103 of those who applied were deemed as having met the eligibility criteria, and thus far, 228 core homes have been built.
As the President observed Saturday during a visit to the home of one of the Region 3 beneficiaries, “I think it’s extremely important; it is one of the most important social facilities that we are doing, because it gives people security in owning their own homes…because there is no landlord and no house rent, so that they can plan their lives better.”
Noting that there are many spin-off benefits to be derived from government-led social programmes like the Core Home Initiative, such as more disposable income at families’ disposal, President Ramotar said: “The core homes offer households an excellent opportunity to restructure their lifestyles.”

He also touched on the hinterland housing drive and how it has impacted the lives of hundreds of Amerindians, saying it is one of the many initiatives used by the administration to improve people’s quality of life.
Minister of Housing and Water, Mr. Irfaan Ali, who accompanied the President to the handing-over ceremony, said the Core Home Initiative complements several other government programmes, and has resulted in tremendous change in the housing sector, as it not only targets vulnerable and low-income groups, but young professionals and others in the high-income bracket as well.

“Those are the opportunities that the government has been making available for the people: Developing the health sector and expanding education delivery. And now, housing will be expanded in Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and the hinterland in 2014,” Minister Ali said.
The programme was also done as part of the Parfaite Harmonie Housing Development, which has about 8000 house lots. Minister Ali said that thus far, more than 32,000 people have benefited from the housing programme in that area.
From 2000 to now, more than $7B has been invested in the housing programme, with average investment per household amounting to $875,000.
The presentation proper was done later in the day by Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, in the absence of Minister Ali, who accompanied the President to his engagement in Linden.
He too noted that the Core Home programme was a typical example of how a government works in partnership with other agencies so as to better the lives of its people.
Dr Ramsammy said that when the programme first got off the ground, there were initially some doubts, in spite of there being similar programmes in most of the developing countries.
The 103 core homes, which will accommodate close to 423 persons, were completed at an average cost of $2.9M each, which gives an overall cost of $300M, with individual beneficiaries contributing $100,000 for construction.
The purpose of the Core Home project is to address issues of occupancy and affordability through the construction of 400 basic houses countrywide.
Each is a modest 330 square-foot timber and concrete structure with no internal partition walls, except for the enclosed sanitary block comprising a toilet and shower.
Besides being built three feet off the ground, they lend themselves to easy expansion, according to the occupant’s pocket. Each also has a basic kitchen sink, and comes with electrical wiring and plumbing.

(GINA)