Six families on the East Coast of Demerara are celebrating a new chapter in their lives following the handover of keys to brand new Core Homes, courtesy of the Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP). This initiative, supported by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), aims to provide quality housing to deserving families.
The official handover ceremony was led by Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, and Minister within the Ministry, Susan Rodrigues. They were joined by Mrs. Donell Bess-Bascom, Deputy Director of Community Development at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), and the engineering team responsible for the project.
The new homeowners are Ms. Zillah Ramcharran from Hope, Ms. Sumintra Persaud from Lusignan, Ms. Kalowtie Sukdai from Good Hope, Ms. Julie Beckles from Mon Repos, Ms. Bhagwandai Samaroo from Mon Repos, and Ms. Michelle Moses from Pattenson. Their inclusion marks a significant milestone in the expansion of the AHUAP, which has now delivered 21 homes on the East Coast, part of a total of 127 Core Homes completed under the program.
Each Core Home, valued at $5 million, includes two bedrooms, a kitchen, and indoor sanitary facilities. Beneficiaries contributed $100,000 each toward their new home. The application period for the program has now closed, with homes awarded based on the preceding selection process.
Initially, the AHUAP was limited to La Bonne Intention, but it has since been broadened to encompass 19 additional communities, extending as far as Hope. Minister Croal noted that this expansion has allowed more families on the lower East Coast to realize their dream of homeownership.
