— foundation pilot launched at Leonora, Meten-Meer-Zorg; housing portal being developed

THE Government is stepping up preparations for the rollout of its 40,000-home programme, with a foundation programme being piloted at Leonora and Meten-Meer-Zorg to support the installation of prefabricated homes, while a new portal is being developed to connect screened applicants with contractors, banks and the Ministry of Housing.
Minister of Housing, Collin Croal, said the measures form part of the preparatory work being undertaken to accelerate housing delivery, with major construction expected to become visible by the end of this year and continue on a larger scale over the following four years.
Speaking during an interview on the Guyana Dialogue, Croal explained that prefabricated construction will allow the Government to increase the pace of housing delivery, particularly as it seeks to construct thousands of homes while addressing demand from applicants.
While local contractors will continue constructing homes in the hundreds, Croal said the Government has engaged three major contractors to support the rollout of prefabricated homes.
“I am talking in a major way because we want to do thousands, and the way to do that, you have to do prefab. You must do prefab or modular-type houses to be able to get the volume,” he said.
According to Croal, the Government has already signed agreements with two of the three major contractors, with the companies expected to supply homes in various categories.
“As a result, we have engaged three major contractors. At this point, we have signed with two to commence, [and they] will be able to supply houses in their various categories,” he said.
FOUNDATION PILOT
The prefab housing initiative will also be supported by a foundation programme being piloted at Leonora and Meten-Meer-Zorg.
Croal said the initiative is intended to assist persons who already have, or are preparing, foundations for their homes, allowing prefabricated structures to be installed once the foundations are ready.
“You can engage these companies or these contractors; they bring the prefab house and they just place it, based on the design that you have, the foundation that you have. So you can start, you can have a hybrid,” he explained.
“We have been piloting in two areas, Leonora and Meten-Meer-Zorg. We have started that launch,” he added.
Croal said the pilot has received positive responses, with the project team currently engaging suppliers for the materials required.
“We have positive responses to the foundation programme aspect. Currently, the project team is engaging the supplier that would be required to place the cement, etc., for the casting of the foundation. We are doing that, and that is a pilot we are launching,” he said.
NEW HOUSING PORTAL
Speaking on the wider housing rollout, Croal disclosed that the ministry is also working to establish a portal through which persons, once screened by the ministry, can connect with contractors.
The portal is expected to allow applicants to engage contractors that meet their needs while helping to streamline the home-construction process. Croal noted that similar systems are used in other countries.
“We will be setting up a portal, and those persons will be able to, once they have been screened by us, [access] a portal where persons can go there or be engaging these contractors at the cost in the various regions, etc. They will have a link to the respective contractor,” he said.
He added: “That is similar [to] what you have overseas, and you will also have on that portal a link to the Ministry of Housing, a link to the banks, etc.”
While the system is still under development, Croal explained that it forms part of the preparatory work being undertaken before large-scale construction gets underway.
“There are many things happening at the same time, but physically you may not see. Yes, we are nearing one year in office; physically, you have not seen the big impact. That is because we are doing the preparatory work,” Croal said.
He explained that this groundwork will give way to visible construction by the end of the year, with the pace expected to increase significantly over the following four years.
“Once this is complete, and by the end of this year, you will start seeing those houses being built, and you will then have that repeat over the next four years in a major way. So, we will fulfil that 40,000-housing programme,” he said.