The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) has embarked on the second phase of its low income housing project and Lethem residents were briefed on the plans under which Tabatinga has been identified for the houses.
Community Development Specialist attached to the CH&PA Donell Bess-Bascom told residents over the weekend that the pilot project has been launched under a new initiative known as the Low Income Settlement Programme (LIS2). The project is being funded by the Inter-American Development Bank.
Bess-Bascom told the meeting that the first phase of the project started in 2009 and 20 housing settlements spread across regions three, four, five, seven, nine and 10 were identified for the implementation of this phase. In Region Nine, the new housing area of Tabatinga was chosen for its implementation.
According to Bess-Bascom, the project entails a range of work; from designing the housing areas, building infrastructure and installing utilities to delivering the homes to the selected beneficiaries. She also pointed out the “beneficiaries will have to pay the respective connection fees to the relevant utility companies.”
The project will see the building of about 20 low-cost houses and the eventual beneficiaries will have to be approved by the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) in collaboration with the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC). “This is to ensure that the project benefits a specific target group, those who are really in need,” Bess-Bascom said, adding that “We do not want a situation where the houses are issued and then we hear that the beneficiary is not living in it and is renting it out.” She said the agency will be advised by the RDC and NDC on potential allottees as “They are on the ground and they will know who the real beneficiaries should be.”
Bess-Bascom told the meeting the project is geared to improve house-lot occupancy in the targeted areas. “We have situations where persons have been issued house-lots but are not able to build on it. So what happens is the land is being idle for years and [there is] a threat of repossession. We are aware that this can fill the allottees with despair,” she said. The project “is geared to change all of that,” she said.
The houses are expected to be 300 square feet and will be built three feet from ground level. Two sides of the houses will be made of wood and the other two sides of concrete. They will also be fitted with a kitchen sink. “This will be in addition to the electrical and plumbing fittings,” she said adding that each house is estimated to cost $1.2 million. Recipients are also expected to provide labour as equity.
The meeting heard that a person whose monthly household income does not exceed $60,000, and who is the holder of a house lot and title from the agency, or who’s title is being processed, can apply for a house. Beneficiaries will be selected on a competitive basis as a limited number of houses are to be built and with the large number of applications expected, the process has to be fair and competitive. “We at CH&PA have to be careful that the project benefits the pre-determined target groups,” Bess-Bascom said.
In response to another question, the official said that allottees can expand their homes in time. “However, we do not expect a person who has been allocated one of the houses to start elaborate renovations soon after allocation. If that happens then our selection process would have been flawed,” she said.
Bess-Bascom also said that for the time being only Tabatinga is being considered and if the project proves successful, then it is likely to be taken to other neighbourhoods. She also assured the meeting that the CH&PA was aware of the history of allocation in the Rupununi and a position was not taken on applicants who were issued lots by the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commis-sion in the past. She said that this special situation did not exist in other areas and that policymakers will have to examine this special case and make a final decision.
After the meeting the team which included an engineer, was expected to examine the much criticised road works being done in the area.
