Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Valerie Patterson-Yearwood, yesterday met with some 31 residents from “C” Field Sophia, assuring them that the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) has several upgrade plans in the works for the area, but it would require working together.

Yesterday’s meeting was organized by Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources Simona Broomes resulting from complaints emanating from the residents.

This meeting comes just days after the Ministry of Communities rolled out its US$27M “Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme”, and Patterson-Yearwood reminded the residents that several of the benefits under the project will be accessible to them.
The programme includes an Affordable and Sustainable Housing component whereby 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, while 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.
Also present at the meeting were the CH&PA CEO Lelon Saul, Director of Projects Omar Narine, and Deputy Director of Community Development Donnel Bess-Bascom.

“CH&PA has always had Sophia in focus,” the Minister reassured the concerned residents. “We will work with you, so you have to work with us. If we do this together development will come to you, development will come to Sophia, development will come to Guyana. But you have to help us help you.”

The meeting saw the discussions on squatting in the area, and the state of the roads, and drains, and how the CHPA can help. Many of the residents at yesterday’s meeting were squatters concerned about their next move. Of the 31, 18 had already applied to the CHPA for house lots. Two had already received house lots but were not in a position to embark on building. Eight had never applied for a house lot, which saw Minister Patterson-Yearwood furnishing those residents with applications and volunteering to pay for the applications.
As it pertains to the squatting, wherever it is possible the CHPA will be going in to the area to regularize the residents, however she reminded that there are areas where residents cannot be regularized and will need to be removed.

“Once you are on a piece of land and you’re squatting there we are in the process of regularizing you. But if you’re squatting on conservancy dam we cannot regularize you, you are in a dangerous location, but what we will do is give you priority,” Minister told the residents.

At least one of the resident present admitted that she was squatting on a dam but was looking forward to moving.

According to the Minister the CHPA is currently in the process of developing another housing scheme in Cummings Lodge and residents of Sophia, who have applications in the system will be given priority. However she warned against the practice of persons who go squatting on purpose as a means of getting priority housing.

“Every time we announce some sort of help coming to squatters next day the number of squatters double. After this [meeting today] tonight you hearing nails knocking,” she said.
She charged the residents that they will now have to be militant in dissuading other residents from erecting structures and squatting.

“Any new structure you see speak to them or ensure the report reaches to us, if we know early we can stop it and nip this in the bud,” she declared.

She also condemned the practice whereby persons after moving to a regularized home would leave their shack standing and pass it on to other persons.

Director of Projects in the CH&PA Omar Narine told the residents of the expected upgrades to Sophia which will see some 17km of asphalt roads being laid down, which along with several bridges will form an integrated road network, there will also be the upgrade of two playgrounds, , solar street lights, and concrete drains.

“Over the coming months there will be a massive road upgrading exercise, in addition we’re planning to upgrade two playgrounds. We’re not just doing roads we are building cohesive communities, and that is only the first phase… we have much more planned,” Narine said.