–as subject ministry revamps website

CITIZENS with applications at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) can now track the process, update their applications, and make queries online using the authority’s updated website.
The modified website, though more advanced, still affords persons the opportunity to fill and submit new applications virtually.
Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, said it was surprising to find that the website had not been functioning properly notwithstanding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“We took office in the COVID-19 pandemic and we thought it strange that there was no website. So we had some basic things we had to do; the website wasn’t functioning, you couldn’t put in an online application, so we had to revamp that and immediately we started doing virtual interviews rather than having persons come in,” Minister Rodrigues related during an interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Thursday.
The minister is hopeful that the new additions will encourage more persons to utilise the services online and reduce the number of persons visiting the office.
Not only will the modified website be useful to new applicants, but it will also be beneficial to the ministry, which has had trouble in the past with recovering contact information for several existing applicants.

On that point, the minister also advised existing applicants to update their contact information whenever there are changes; this adjustment could now be done online.
“Updating your information is extremely important. When we started pull applications and saw names 10 – 15 years we couldn’t get in contact with them. So now you don’t have to come in and do that, you can do that online.
“We’re trying to make all of our services accessible and that is something that was lacking here. We put online the update form, so persons can update contact information, update if they got married or had a name change,” Minister Rodrigues said.

Although those systems are already in place, the minister said it is still their intention to address enquiries with a virtual query system.
“If you want to query the status of your application, all of that we put online. If you have a question, if you wish you can ask that online now on our website. There is someone who actually responds, they respond via email. You ask a question and submit and they will respond. We have someone designated to doing that,” Minister Rodrigues said.
Chief Executive Officer of CH&PA, Sherwyn Greaves, also said that increasing digital services would definitely make life easier for applicants.