SCORES of Guyanese turned out to the Ministry of Housing’s outreach at the Stabroek Market area on Friday as many expressed great interest in the $500,000 subsidy being offered to low-income home owners to complete or undertake works to their homes.

The offer is one of two initiatives which the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) placed on offer to persons living in Georgetown, up the East Coast of Demerara, with a cut-off mark at La Bonne Intention and from the city south along the East Bank of Demerara to Diamond. The offer is also available to persons living along the West Bank of Demerara up to the village of Wales.

The outreach was part of the CH&PA’s Adequate Housing and Accessibility programme and Minister within the Ministry of Housing, Valerie Patterson, was on hand to give a listening ear to persons making queries.

On Friday, many persons who spoke to the Guyana Chronicle expressed optimism that they will finally be able to build and complete their homes under a $500,000 initiative. “This would come in good for me, I already sign-up and all I need now is to wait on the call from housing,” a single-mother of two who resides at Diamond told this publication. Other persons noted that the initiative will enable them to undertake additional works to their homes.

The cost covers repairs to roofs, walls, floors, bathrooms and toilets, house expansions, electrical works, plumbing and sanitation, and importantly, modifications for persons with disabilities.

A housing official told the Guyana Chronicle that for an individual to be eligible for the offer, he/she must be the owner of the land and must be living on said land for which he/she is applying for the subsidy. In addition, the gross income of the homeowner must be $70,000.

The second initiative, which was highlighted at the outreach, is the CH&PA’s Core Home Support Project. Under this project a house measuring 20 feet in length by 20 feet in width was highlighted as being on offer for only $100,000.

The home improvement initiative has been set at 2000 subsidies while 250 home owners are expected to benefit from the core home initiative. The application period, which started on November 1, 2018, runs until February 1, 2019.