Andreecia Dukhai never would have imagined that the day would arrive when she would have the opportunity to own a piece of land and even more important, her own home.
“I can’t believe this is happening to me; I never thought that I would be able to achieve this, not just for me, but my son as well; I am really happy our dreams are coming true today”, she gushed, minutes after selecting her lot number.
For this wife and mother of one, the selection of her house lot is but one step towards the realisation a life-long dream and she is but one of more than 200 persons whose lives were forever changed yesterday.
This change was made possible through yet another Ministry of Housing One Stop Shop exercise, held yesterday at the Blairmont Community Centre in Region 5 (Mahaica/Berbice) where more than 280 lots were distributed for the Bath Housing Scheme Phase 3.
At the event, the Housing Ministry’s fifth allocation exercise for the year, Minister of Housing and Water Irfaan Ali grasped the opportunity to highlight the importance of the initiative.
He pointed out that the exercise was aimed at ensuring that every                              Guyanese has the opportunity to own his own home in an equitable and transparent manner, in keeping with the manifesto promises of the PPP/C.
“We are very happy to be able to continue what we started, that is the comprehensive approach to meeting your housing needs,” he announced.
Minister Ali explained that his ministry continues to create new and innovate ways to address the increasing housing needs of the Guyanese population, including the implementation of the $2B Revolving  Fund to assist those who have been provided house lots but lack financing.
He explained, “His Excellency initially announced $2B on this fund that would have catered for the lower level earners and the vulnerable groups within our society, to ensure that they have access to a financial mechanism that would enable them to own their own homes.”
This, he noted, will be facilitated by a board comprising representatives from the Ministry of Housing, engineers, and builders and banking officials, who will screen and choose those who qualify.
In light of concerns raised over the provision of electricity and other services in the new schemes, he emphasized that the ministry remains cognizant of its role and responsibilities in this regard.
He said, “Our responsibility is to give you serviced lots, which means lots with water and electricity; the demand for housing has created a trickle done effect in the water and electricity sector; as a result, these companies have to move at an accelerated pace.”
Continuing, Ali assured that the staff of the Ministry of Housing and the Central Planning and housing Authority (CH&PA) will work aggressively in meeting the housing needs all across the country.
He congratulated them for this achievement and for their accomplishments to date as the Housing Ministry, through the diligent efforts of its staff, is now processing current housing applications.
“That means that we would have met every demand here in Region 5; this is a great achievement looking at where we came from when we did not have a housing programme.
Ali congratulated the prospective home owners for their accomplishment and urged them to utilise all of the opportunities available to them through the exercise to expedite the construction process.
In his address, Region 5 Chairman, Harrinarine Baldeo expressed gratitude to the government and the Ministry of Housing for their aggressive housing programme which has positively impacted the lives of thousands, especially in Region 5.
He urged those present to act in an honest and responsible manner when processing their applications, and eventually during the construction process.
Residents of the Bath Housing Scheme Phase 3 were also introduced to the Core House Pilot Project, the aim of which is to provide core (starter) homes; and in order to facilitate the implementation of the second Low Income Settlement Programme (LISP-2) currently being executed by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), the government has received funding from the Inter-American Development Bank.
One component of the programme funds pilot projects to address issues of affordability and sustainability in housing; and one of them, ‘The Core House Pilot’, is geared to improve the occupancy level within targeted schemes.
Like Ms. Dukhai, more than 200 families were present at the Blairmont Community Centre yesterday, all eager to have access to own their own homes, each overjoyed at being given the opportunity to have a stake in their country.
In closing, Minister Ali encouraged those gathered to attend the upcoming building expo, to be staged from July 29-31, in order to garner as much information as possible about the process of home ownership.
‘Bridging the Gap and Transforming Guyana’ is the theme behind the International Building Expo (Two) 2011, which will be staged at the National Stadium, Providence, on the East Bank of Demerara.