Transformations in housing

The Government recently announced that the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has committed to releasing more lands to the Ministry of Housing’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) in an effort to meet the growing demands for housing across the country.

This is testimony to the fact that more and more Guyanese, especially young professionals, are applying for lands to begin constructing their homes. This forces the Government to look at alternative means in helping every Guyanese achieve their dream of home ownership.

Prior to 1992, this level of optimism among young people, and citizens in general, to own their own home was unheard of, as it was very difficult to acquire a plot of land. In addition to having to deal with a very difficult bureaucracy, there was simply a lack of vision on the part of the then government in relation to housing development.

This has now changed as the present administration’s policies on housing development make it much easier for one to own their own home. The transformation currently being experienced in the housing sector is one that every Guyanese citizen can boast of.

Nowhere else in the Caricom region is this level of development being experienced in housing.

While there were tremendous achievements made in the areas of education, health care delivery, improving social services, etc, the gains made in Guyana’s housing sector have surpassed all others.

The incumbent Government has every right to highlight these achievements as they face the electorate to ask for another term to continue along this path. Voters no doubt will be looking closely to see which of the parties have the best policies for Guyana’s development; and housing is a key concern for many.

About 100,000 Guyanese families have received house lots across the country. A number of new housing schemes have been (and are being) developed. The Government has spent huge amounts of money for infrastructural works. These house lots that are being awarded are highly subsidized as the intention is to ensure that lands are made available for every single category of individuals.

It is worthwhile to highlight some of the useful initiatives undertaken by the Housing Ministry which resulted in the level of success we are currently experiencing. The Ministry hosted a number of “one stop shops” where applications for house lots were fast-tracked.

This served to cut through all the red tape that one faces when an application for a plot of land is made. Also, the criteria for land ownership were greatly relaxed. Now there is provision for every citizen, irrespective of social class or political or religious affiliation, once he/she satisfies the basic criteria to be given a houselot.

The banks have also made it easier for persons to access loans for construction. Prior to the housing boom one had to satisfy a number of criteria before they could have accessed a loan to build a house.

Today, this has changed as the banks offer loans at very affordable interest rates to low and moderate income earners. This was as a result of the Public-Private Partnership developed between the Government and the commercial banks to make it easier for persons to own their own homes.

Every Guyanese desires to become a home-owner and we are pleased that the Government is making the necessary investments in the housing sector to make this a reality. The vision for housing development in this country is indeed extraordinary and commendations must go to the key players – the Government and the private sector – for helping to transform the lives of thousands of Guyanese citizens.

There are many challenges to overcome as there are quite a number of applicants who are still awaiting word from the Ministry as to the status of their applications. But an objective analysis will prove that Guyana has indeed travelled a long road since 1992, especially as it relates to gains made in housing development.