WORK on 25 “core homes” across the West Bank of Demerara (WBD), Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), is on course to completion by February, according to the Ministry of Housing and Water.

According to the ministry, the houses are being constructed in the communities of Lust-en-Rust, Onderneeming, La Parfaite Harmonie, Recht-Door-Zee and Westminister, as part of the Adequate Housing and Accessibility Programme (AHUAP).

“Works commenced on all 25 of the homes, with 21 houses between 50-100 per cent completed. The core homes are no less than 400 square feet single-family homes with concrete blocks for the outer walls and floors, basic doors, windows, electrical wiring, water connections etc…,” the Housing and Water Ministry said in a press release, on Wednesday.

The ministry said, too, that the houses are designed to meet basic standards that a family would require, but there is room for expansion if they so desire.
All beneficiaries are persons who possess ownership of the land and are required to pay an equity share contribution of $100,000.

The construction of those houses follows the signing of $65,138,832 in contracts last August between the Central Housing & Planning Authority (CH&PA) and two contractors. The project, which is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), aims to assist vulnerable Guyanese, living in poor structures which are considered to be uninhabitable.

Some $98,920,225 in contracts were also awarded under the second component of AHUAP – Home Improvement Subsidies. Through this initiative, persons are given a $500,000 grant in the form of building materials for repairs to walls, floors, electrical works and sanitation improvements, among others.

The agency has since reopened applications for both AHUAP components until February 7, 2022. The initiative encompasses Westminster, Onderneeming, Recht-Door-Zee, Lust en Rust, and Parfaite Harmonie Phase II.

Meanwhile, in Region Four, the boundary spans from Georgetown to Grove on the East Bank of Demerara; from Georgetown to La Bonne Intention (LBI) on the East Coast of Demerara and 19 other communities from LBI to Hope. Application forms could be accessed free of cost at CH&PA offices, and all local authorities within the project boundary, or online at chpa.gov.gy.

In addition to the core homes on the WBD, $867 million in infrastructural upgrades are ongoing to improve the lives of residents, especially those who fall within the low-income bracket.

Those works include the upgrade of 9.14 kilometers of roads, construction of 49 reinforced concrete culverts, cleaning of 34.5 kilometers of earthen drains, and the construction of two meters of reinforced concrete drains and 0.5 meters of concrete sidewalks.