By Rabindra Rooplall

THE Mayor and City Council (M&CC) will soon be commencing its housing drive for staff, as sites under its purview have already been identified for the establishment of gated communities.

In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Public Relations Officer of the M&CC, Debra Lewis, disclosed that the municipality will shortly embark on a housing programme for employees at all levels. Several plots of land in Georgetown that belong to the council and are currently underutilized have been identified. These include lands in Guyhoc Gardens, South Ruimveldt and Bel Air.

Lewis explained that, several years ago, land was identified at Guyhoc but the land was not released. However, contractors will this month be dispatched to commence clearing the area in Guyhoc identified for allotment.

“We have decided that employees of both the fixed and unfixed establishment would have the opportunity to have their own homes at the behest of the municipality…. We have a social responsibility not only to clean the drains and to make Georgetown clean and bright, but we have a responsibility to employees to boost their morale and to retain their services,” Lewis declared.

VARIOUS MODELS
She said various models of houses were already identified for different categories of workers, based on their income and years of service.

Underscoring that the criteria set out by lending institutions are rigorous, Lewis said many are unable to access loans or funding for the construction of a home, although they may have a piece of land.

“The municipality and council really want to help in this regard, and this will be one of the main (areas of focus) in the latter part of this year. We already have the human resources to assist with building,” she explained.

“We have engineers, building inspectors, carpenters, masons, plumbers, and every aspect needed, so we will be utilizing these in-house skills of the Georgetown municipality so the loans taken can be on a smaller scale for only building materials.”

She said the M&CC will be approaching the lending institutions, since it will be a housing drive by the municipality, so there will be formal meetings with the Minister within the Ministry of Communities with responsibility for housing, and consultations pertaining to making a gated community for staff will be a reality.

HOUSING SCHEMES
“It’s time the employees of the council benefit, because there are private organizations in Guyana that have housing schemes for employees. One good example is Banks DIH. Many of these employees dedicate decades of their lives to service when they obtain their own home through an organization that has their interest at heart,” Lewis explained.

She said the municipality wants to create a relationship with mutual benefits for its employees. This relationship must be reflected in their production, and be based on their housing security for their families and the comfort of their working environs.

The PRO noted that the criteria will be finalized where the amount of income and the number of years are reviewed for all applicants and categories of workers attached to the M&CC.

“We have a lot of employees who are not yet the owners of their own home because the banks and lending institutions’ criteria are too rigid; so the municipality, which has the resources, can make home ownership a reality for all staff who qualify,” Lewis emphasized.

“Homes are a place to feel secure, build a future and raise a family. There’s immense personal satisfaction in owning a home; and with homeownership, you can gain a sense of community through the neighbourhood, schools and civic groups.”