Dear Editor,

PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali and the Housing Ministry come in for kudos in their handling of housing issues, according to an opinion poll I conducted over the last week for the North American Caribbean Teachers Association (NACTA). Respondents express confidence in the work of both ministers.
Expectations for a house lot or public housing are very high throughout Guyana; demand is not being met as quickly as the public desires and backlog has been rising. Respondents in the poll showed paper work of a waiting period for a house lot exceeding 10 years and, in some cases, longer. Other applicants are more recent. The respondents are pleased with the progress being made by the Irfaan Ali-led administration in meeting the housing demand and hope their turn for a lot or public housing would come sooner rather than later.
Providing public housing or house lots has been one of the greatest challenges facing all governments. The last administration failed to meet expectation and was accused of bias in giving lots and houses primarily to its supporters. Many families have turned to squatting or informal housing and or living with extended families or rentals.  The government has been working to address the backlogs. Based on the findings of the surveys, the public is overwhelmingly pleased with the efforts being made by Ministers Colin Croal and Susan Rodrigues to meet housing shortage making house lots available and constructing low-cost houses for middle and low-income families. Both ministers have been very active on the ground meeting communities all across the country and in distributing house lots or turn-key homes.

The respondents of the latest July poll say that the PPP/C administration has done more to meet housing shortage in less than a year than the predecessor coalition regime did in five years.
Almost everyone believes that ensuring the public has a safe, affordable place to live should be a priority of government. They also say they are very grateful to the President and the Housing Ministers for the action taken since last August to address housing shortage. House lot distribution has been peaking since last August.  Respondents note that housing affordability is a problem. While people almost unanimously agree that affordable housing is very important, they are very concerned about the rising costs of housing. Greater attention should be paid to the cost of housing or the materials for construction. Lower income people say more needs to be done to make housing more affordable for them and to rein in prices for materials.
The poll also reveals that the public expects the government to continue to play an important role in making sure that housing is affordable and that communities are safe. They also feel that government should give incentives to the private sector to engage in community housing development to meet rising demand.

Yours faithfully,

Vishnu Bisram