–as Housing Ministry opens 60th ‘Dream Realised’ Housing Drive

THE Ministry of Housing and Water on Friday opened its 60th ‘Dream Realised’ Housing Drive in Region Four, as it continues its quest to ensure that all applicants receive their house lots.
Held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, the two-day event is one of the commitments made nearly five years ago by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic in its Manifesto.
Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water Susan Rodrigues, in her remarks during the opening ceremony, said it is vital that commitments are fulfilled, as it shows respect for the people the government is leading and representing.

She noted that the Housing and Water Ministry is one of the sectors where progress can easily be measured.
Minister Rodrigues pointed out that during the event 1,600 house lots will be available for allocation.
“Those of you who will be allocated your house lots today will be receiving a house lot in four areas that we’ve made available over the next two days: Felicity, Chateau Margot, Le Ressouvenir, and Success,” she said.

Further, she stated that the alottees would have applied in 2019 and prior. According to her, Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) is the largest region, and it therefore has the highest demand for housing.
Minister Rodrigues explained that there is a backlog of approximately 48,000 applicants in the region, even though there were over 41,000 allocations within the last five years. This, she remarked, is because people are applying all the time.

“As soon as young people reach the age of 21, the eligible age, the first thing they’re doing is submitting their house lot application. And that’s a good thing, because it shows that our young people are thinking about getting ahead; they’re thinking about their future,” Minister Rodrigues said, adding that it also shows that youths have tremendous confidence in this government to address their housing needs.

The minister related that they are not only being guided by the Manifesto, but the commitment to improving the quality of life of the Guyanese people.
“We’re going beyond those commitments. Because we’re being guided by the numbers, we’re being guided by data; we’re being guided by the requests of our people. So, when we go into communities or we look at the amount of people who are coming to the Ministry of Housing and placing their trust and confidence in us and making their applications, it’s our responsibility; and we take it very seriously, to make sure that we provide for them in the housing sector,” she added.

Meanwhile, Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal reiterated the importance of such a monumental event. He noted that the government works every day to ensure that it can create strategies and policies to be able to do more; to pass it on to the people of Guyana.
“As you are here as citizens, to pass on to you, to be able to ensure that you feel and you see that transformation, that development, not just from a physical perspective, but from your own perspective. Where you’re increasingly receiving more benefits to see that your disposable income means much more individually, but also to receive the services we are providing as a government,” Minister Croal said, urging Guyanese to not take for granted all that is happening in this sector.

Notably, Minister Croal underscored the diversity of the housing drive, saying that it is for all Guyanese to benefit from it.
The minister affirmed that on average the ministry engages 300 people daily.
He said this varies from new applicants, follow-ups on signing of agreements, or queries and other issues.

He mentioned the increase of workload for housing staff, saying that it has increased significantly to 400 per cent.
“58 per cent of the allottees are from Region Four of that 44,000. The East Coast where you are being allocated today, is about 65 per cent of the Region Four allocations, and about 38 per cent on the country level,” the minister pointed out.

It was announced by the minister that allottees will have access to their land by the end of 2025.