OWNING a home has never been easier. This is due to the several measures taken by the Housing Ministry to ensure that every eligible Guyanese are provided with an opportunity to own a home, consistent with a PPP/C’s Manifesto promise to provide 50, 000 house lots to eligible persons before the end of their current term in office.

The housing programme of the PPP/C administration is nothing short of extraordinary. Indeed, home ownership is a success story as thousands of Guyanese are being afforded that opportunity to own their own homes.

Only recently, Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal announced that his ministry will soon commence the allocation of some 5,000 house lots for residents along the East Coast of Demerara. According to the minister, the government, in collaboration with the Guyana Sugar Corporation and the Lands and Surveys Department, is exploring the possibility of bringing in thousands of acres of new lands for housing development purposes in order to meet the housing needs of Guyanese.

The fact is that there is still a significant number of unmet housing needs due to the neglect of housing under the PNC and the APNU+AFC administrations. Housing was never a priority under the PNC regime and many Guyanese were forced to squat on State lands to satisfy their housing needs or condemned to live in rented apartments for the duration of their entire lives. Under the Hoyte administration, housing was removed as a line item from the National Budget, an indication of the utter lack of concern for the basic needs of the Guyanese people to have a roof over their heads.

It was not until the assumption of the PPP/C to office in October 1992 that housing became a national priority and even though over one hundred house lots were distributed under the previous PPP/C administrations, it was still not enough to fully meet the housing deficit. Not only were there a proliferation of housing schemes in several regions of Guyana by the PPP/C administration but several of the squatting areas were regularised including the Sophia Squatting area, and lands along the Railway Embankment on the East Coast of Demerara.Over 13,000 house lots were distributed,including 2,600 on the East Coast of Demerara, by the present PPP/C Government during the past 18 months.

The harsh reality is that there is, as it were, no magic wand that could transform ‘raw’ lands into fully developed housing units. It requires significant sums of money to put the necessary infrastructure, including roads, drains and utilities such as water and electricity, in place. And despite the fact that the PPP/C administration has been putting billions of dollars into housing development, there are still several areas that are in need of basic infrastructure, especially paved roads, water and electricity.

The challenges notwithstanding, the prospects for young people to own their own homes are much brighter today that at any time in the country’s history. Several young people, especially young professionals, now benefit from a range of policy measures to access land and loans to build middle-income homes.

To a significant extent, the government has been subsidising the financial cost for house lots especially for low-income individuals since the selling price of these lands cannot compensate for the actual cost for land preparation works and infrastructural development. Today, there are several private housing scheme developers which caters mainly for high-income earners but the vast majority of Guyanese take advantage of the government’s low- and middle-income offerings which are within their financial reach.

There are also those who seek to take advantage of the relatively low prices of State land for speculation purposes and even though there are statutory conditions that govern the sale or transfer of State lands, there are many who found ways of disposing of their allotted lots for financial gains. This, thankfully, is the exception rather than the norm and for the vast majority of homeowners, owning a piece of land has been truly life-changing and transformative.

President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, has made it abundantly clear that housing is high on his administration’s list of national priorities. He has assured that his government will deliver on its commitment to make available 50,000 house lots but urged citizens to follow the necessary process and do things the right way. He encouraged patience and spoke out against a tendency of some individuals to squat on State lands.

Meanwhile, preparations are in place for the hosting of one of the biggest building expo in the country and possibly the Caribbean. The expo will be held at the National Stadium, Providence, from July 22-24, 2022 and will serve as a blueprint for Guyana’s architectural future and see the introduction of 3D building technology in the country. In addition, environmentally sustainable homes built with recycled material and other model homes will be on display. This is indeed forward-looking and commendable and will impact positively on the building landscape in Guyana.