NEXT year, the government will accelerate its turn-key housing programme to meet the growing demand for housing in Guyana. More emphasis will be placed on home construction; not just allocation, while fast-tracking homeownership.

The PPP/C Administration, when it got into office in August 2020, implemented a national housing programme aimed at providing affordable housing opportunities for Guyanese.
While the government has been rolling out its home construction programme countrywide, it implemented several other measures to encourage homeownership, the latest being the steel and cement support for homebuilders.

Over 150 applicants went through the verification aspect of the programme, and will receive vouchers to uplift their materials.
Additionally, under the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)’s Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP), vulnerable groups will benefit from home improvement subsidies of up to $500,000 to repair their properties.

Under the turn-key programme, more than 1,200 low and moderate-income and young professional units are underway in Regions Three, Four, Six and Ten. Already, over 300 of those homes have been handed over to beneficiaries.

Through the AHUAP, a number of homes are being constructed, targeting low-income and vulnerable families.
The project to construct houses was conceptualised by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali ever since he served as housing minister before 2015.
In keeping with its Manifesto, the PPP/C Government is committed to delivering 50,000 house lots to Guyanese within its first term in office. To date, over 19,000 house lots have been distributed thus far for 2022.

Meanwhile, as part of an ongoing commitment to provide subsidised housing for hinterland residents under the Hinterland Housing Programme, the Ministry of Housing and Water, through the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), has issued a request for Expressions of Interest (EoIs) for the construction of flat two-bedroom clay-brick housing units in Lethem, Region Nine.

The project will see contractors financing the construction of units for beneficiaries pre-qualified by the CH&PA for allocation, pending approval for financing from the banks involved in the process.

The government has indicated that over 400 persons have already been qualified to benefit from the programme in Lethem. The housing programme will target Tabatinga, Culvert City and the government’s new housing development.

According to the request for EOIs, all clay bricks and timber, as well as payment for all other materials and labour will be provided by the CH&PA.

The construction design will include an eight-inch-thick strip-and-pad foundation, reinforced concrete columns, five-inch-thick internal and external clay-brick walls, four-inch-thick reinforced concrete floors, toilet and bath facilities with septic tank, a zinc roof with gutters, and a low-level trestle with a storage tank.

Design contractors or developers desirous of taking advantage of the opportunity were invited to submit their proposals to Shane Kishundat, Regional Housing Officer of Region Nine, Lot 48 Commercial Block, Lethem, Region Nine.

Also contained in the proposal must be the financial capability to undertake the construction of the houses, and the capability and experience of the contractor or developer.

The CH&PA, on behalf of the government, will then assess the responses and select specific parties, who will then be invited to participate in the housing development, with applicable terms and conditions being provided. This indicates that the government does not intend to leave anything to chance, and in 2023, another 10,000 Guyanese are expected to become homeowners.