13 Sophia residents receive keys to Core Homes

Some 13 residents of Sophia, Greater Georgetown, on Wednesday, received the keys and electrical and termite treatment certificates to their new core homes.

The simple handing-over ceremony was conducted at Section ‘D’ Turkeyen, Sophia where the Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, handed over the keys to the new homeowners.

The Deputy Director of Community Development at the Central Housing & Planning Authority (CHPA), Donell Bess-Bascom and technical staff attached to the agency also attended.

The houses were constructed through the US$28 million Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP), funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IBD) to improve the lives of low-income Guyanese in urban and peri-urban Georgetown through better access to housing and infrastructure.

Each core home is a single-family unit measuring about 400 square feet, with concrete blocks for outer walls and floors, basic doors, windows, electrical wiring, water connections etc.

The units are designed to meet basic standards that a family can move into and affordably expand over time. Each beneficiary is only required to contribute a sum of $100,000 towards the cost of the home.

The termite treatment certificate is valid for five years, while the electrical certificate is valid for 10 years.

According to Minister Rodrigues, such projects support the national housing programme and help to provide affordable housing for vulnerable families. Further, the government’s housing drive is placing emphasis on home construction.

“While you see a lot of attention being placed on house lot allocation, the focus is on home ownership as it should be, helping people to get into their own home,” Minister Rodrigues said.

Some $191.6 million was allotted for the construction of core homes in Sophia and 80 beneficiaries were selected from the area. So far 35 core homes were constructed with 21 already handed over.