Six hundred families are now closer to homeownership as they received their house lots on Friday at the new housing development at Wismar, Linden in Region Ten.
Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal and Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues led the allocation exercise at the Christianburg Community Centre Ground in Linden.
Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), Sherwyn Greaves was also present.
The allocation of house lots brought relief and gratitude to many beneficiaries, including Kres Franklin, a mother of two who was overjoyed to receive her long-awaited land.
Franklin, who had applied for a house lot in 2010, expressed her excitement and appreciation for the opportunity to finally own a plot of land.
“When I received the call, I was nervous and excited. But I was studying the money because I have twins who are preparing for CXC. Next week, I have to go and pay for the CXC…The land will benefit my children. They will have their own home and space,” she said.
When Tomeka Adams received the call about her house lot, she was overwhelmed with emotion, having lost hope that it would ever materialise.
The mother of two expressed her joy, noting that her children will now have a comfortable home.
“Owning a home would be something big…It will be a great relief,” Adams said.
Mother of six, Meryl Whinfield applied for her house lot in 2009.
“After I got the call [on Tuesday], I was so happy because it was a very long wait. This feels so good at 64 to finally own something,” she said.
After 11 years, Sharon Trotman’s dreams have been realised now that she has her land, which she believes will create generational wealth for her children.
Trotman said, “It means a lot to me because I don’t have to pay rent. I have two children. This is something I can pass on to my children.”
Minister Croal highlighted that the government remains cognisant that becoming a homeowner is one of the significant accomplishments for any family.
He announced that another land allocation exercise will be held next week in the region, catering to another 400 applicants within the Amelia’s Ward housing area.
“Today, we will start our scorecard for Region Ten which says we have 731 allocations to date. And we will start with a scorecard where we are close to 39,000 allocations. It therefore means that we will be crossing the 39,000 mark towards our 50,000 allocations…” Minister Croal stated.
Meanwhile, Minister Rodrigues said the PPP/C Administration remains keen on its mission of providing access to affordable housing to every single Guyanese.
“That is something the People’s Progressive Party Civic Government will never neglect to do. [In] our track record of achievements from 1992 to 2015 and then from 2020 to present, you will see that we have produced results to back up our intentions to ensure that we provide affordable housing for the people in this country,” she stated.
She reminded the audience that only 400 house lots were allocated in Region Ten from 2015 to 2020. The government has allocated over 500 house lots in the past four years in Region Ten.
Meanwhile, the government has regularised over 500 lots in several areas at Block 42, Blueberry Hill, Canva City, Ituni, and Amelia’s Ward. Region Ten has the fourth largest housing demand.
Meanwhile, 37 steel and cement vouchers were handed over, injecting $8.3 million into the local economy.
